The Longest Road
by mayghaen17
Summary: <html><head></head>The Nano and the Patriots have combined forces, creating something deadly, but Nature always has a way of balancing itself. While Charlie and Monroe try to find Connor, Aaron and the others learn that Charlie is the key to defeating their enemies. As the Chosen One, her life is threatened, but her survival brings forth a new era; one that is tied to the return of Power once lost.</html>
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: So this is my first venture in the universe that is/was Revolution. I am so so sad that it got canceled and before we got any Charloe! :( Well anywho, I know there's a lot of stories out there about these two, but here's another one. Enjoy!**

ONE

Miles and her mom were outside waiting for any sign of Monroe. Charlie was perfectly content to stay inside and wait, giving the two of them time alone, but the windows were boarded up and it was boiling inside. The suspense and the heat propelled her through the front door just in time to hear the crunch of dirt as wagon wheels rolled over it. A half smile touched her lips as Monroe approached the old church on the wagon carrying the president; someone she half hoped was alive, half hoped was dead. Knowing Monroe it was a complete toss up at this point.

He pulled the horses to a stop and jumped into the back of the wagon. Without so much as a word, he hauled the president to his feet and instructed him to get down. Two pairs of feet hit the ground shortly after, the dirt kicking up from impact. Rachel and Miles stepped forward to take the president and Monroe did a double take at the sight of Charlie staring at him while trying to hold back a smile.

"We'll start working on getting answers," Miles said as he propelled the president towards the building. "You get the horses ready," he added, looking at Monroe.

He nodded, but didn't make a move as he caught Rachel's gaze. "Thank you, Bass."

Charlie watched the moment that passed between them, but ignored whatever it was as Rachel turned and went inside to start getting answers from their prisoner. She had always planned on going inside too, but the sorrow on Bass' face propelled her down the step and towards the wagon. "I'm sorry about Connor."

"Are you?" he asked, turning on her in an instant. His eyes went wide as he realized how close she was.

Her arms hung at her sides, twitching at the ready for the first sign of danger as they always were. She stared at him with that look of being in constant amusement. As if she was always laughing in the face of danger.

"Of course I am," she replied, her blue eyes shimmering from the light of the moon. "Why would I not be?"

"You would be happy if Connor were gone. I destroyed your family and now mine is gone; turn about is fair play right?"

With a smile on her face, she shoved him. His back hit the wagon with thud and he stared at her with blazing eyes. "For the record, yes, it is about time you experienced some loss."

"Don't talk to me about loss," he hissed.

"Fine. Connor's still out there. There's still a chance."

"What do you know you're just-"

"There's still a chance," she repeated, the smile leaving her face. "Unlike my father who your men slaughtered in the street for disobeying you. Unlike my brother who your men gunned down with a machine gun from a helicopter as you desperately tried to hold on to your throne." She took a step closer to him, annoyed by the way he didn't cower. "If turn about was fair play I would have returned the favor and took Connor from you, but I didn't."

She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her arm to keep her there. She whipped around, her eyes going to his hand first then slowly rising to his face. Something passed between them as they stared at each other, silently battling wills. The air changed and Monroe cleared his throat while Charlie pulled her arm out of his grip and walked away.

They would be leaving soon, but Charlie wanted to do a lap around the building just to make sure they were still clear. She also needed to clear her head from whatever had just happened with Monroe. Her steps were slow and her eyes were staring off in the distance, but her mind was going over every encounter she had ever had with Monroe. Other than the dark stuff from the beginning she focused on when she met him in New Vegas and saved him from Luke. It was during that adventure that something changed between them.

She stopped moving and leaned against the building in a spot that kept her perfectly shroud in darkness. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the images of her father's body in her arms and her brother being ridden with bullets became replaced by Monroe saving her from would-be rapists. Since then there had been several moments like the one that had just passed where she could feel the pull between them. Even with all the evil he had done, the age difference, and the fact that she had slept with his son... Even after all of that, there was still _something_ there that was trying to pull them together.

There was a shift in the air and Charlie moved with ease. She sprung forward, pulling the knife from her belt and opened her eyes to see Monroe standing in front of her with his hands in the air in mock surrender. She sighed and lowered the knife. He watched as she returned the weapon to it's holster at her hip and then stared at him with that infuriating smile of hers.

"I'm sorry," he said as he lowered his hands.

"That's a first," she replied, returning to the darkened corner to lean against the rough brick exterior.

His head tilted to the side. "That's all I get?"

She shrugged. "It was overdue." She had heard the truth in his words as he said it, but she wasn't a hundred percent convinced yet.

He took a step forward and Charlie tensed as the gap between them closed. "In all seriousness, I really am sorry," he said. She saw the way his expression softened and the deep breath he took. "I'm sorry that I lashed out and for all the other things I did."

She nodded, not sure exactly what to say. He _was _sorry, but it still didn't make what he did in the past any less terrible.

"I know you're sorry about Connor and I appreciate that. You lost him too in a way."

"It was a one time thing," she replied. "Like I said, there's still a chance he'll be back. He wasn't waiting for you when you got back, he isn't dead or fighting with the Patriots."

"No, he's fighting with Neville." Charlie's eyes widened. She had not been expecting that. "He ambushed me at the rest stop. They wanted to kill the president and tried to kill us both in the process. I managed to lock them in the shed and get here, but barely."

Instead of repeating herself, Charlie simply nodded and straightened her stance, pushing herself away from the building. Even moving that inch or two brought her closer to Monroe than she realized and she saw the way his eyes flickered from her gaze to her lips and back again. Her lips curved as they began leaning in towards each other, but Monroe stopped short, his hand paused in the air as he reached out to touch her.

"This is wrong," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Thought that was your forte?" she returned, holding her ground.

He shook his head and took a half step back, turning to look away from her, running a hand through his hair. "Rachel and Miles will be ready to leave soon."

"Okay," Charlie said and shrugged as she began to walk past him towards the front of the church.

She barely made it past him before he muttered something under his breath and wrapped his hand around her arm to pull her back. In the time it took her to blink, Charlie found herself captive between the brick wall of the church at her back and Monroe's front pressed against hers. His lips covered hers as his hands went to her hips, his fingers going through the loops of her jeans to pull her closer. She cupped his face with both hands to hold him in place as she kissed him as fiercely as he kissed her.

There was so many emotions rolling through her as their mouths moved as one, their bodies molding against one another in perfect unison. She could feel his arousal through their clothes as he pressed closer than she thought possible. Her fingers sank into his hair and clenched as their kiss intensified. His hands unlatched from her jeans, one of them going behind her to slope over the curve of her ass while the other rose to cup one of her breasts. He never thought he would touch her like this, nor did he ever think she would let him. The fact that she seemed to be enjoying his touch made him nearly lose it right then and there.

Both of them went absolutely still as the sound of a branch snapping hit their ears. Her eyes opened and she looked around to locate the source of the noise, her heart skipping a beat as she saw soldiers approach them. "Patriots," she whispered against his lips.

Monroe pulled away from her and both of their arms went up to let the soldiers know they weren't going to fight. Six men approached them from all sides, their guns aimed and at the ready. "Get inside," one of them demanded.

Charlie and Monroe obeyed, turning to go into the church using the front entrance. Rachel and Miles looked up as they entered, the Patriot soldiers following them closely with guns trained their way. There were already men inside the church, men who had the other two Mathesons on their knees and President Davis on his feet, looking smug.

"We found them out back," one of the soldiers said. Miles looked up at Monroe and then slid his glance to Charlie. He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing as the two were led to Rachel and Miles. They were forced to their knees beside them and looked at Davis, waiting to learn their fate.

"Well I'm glad you're all here. The most feared and deadly people in all America about to die at the hands of the very people they rebelled against."

"Is this the part where you reveal your evil plan and then kill us?" Charlie quipped.

"Charlie!" Rachel hissed at the same time a soldier came up behind her and hit her with the butt of his gun.

Charlie's face hit the floor of the church and blackness clouded her vision. She could hear the distant sound of a scuffle, but she couldn't see anything. She knew her eyes had closed, she could feel her lashes on her cheek. Once the world stopped spinning, she opened her eyes slowly and then pushed herself back to her knees. Rachel and Miles were looking at her with concern so she nodded, hoping they would understand she was fine. It was when she turned to look at Monroe that she the wild fury in his eyes. The moment their gaze locked he seemed to calm down. As usual, they understood each other without saying one word.

"Next time you speak, I'll have them shoot you before you finish your sentence," Davis threatened, looking at Charlie coldly. Knowing it would be wise to be silent, she took a deep breath and stared at him silently. "Well, I guess there really is no point in not saying anything. You're right, kid, I am going to kill you. Might as well get some satisfaction in telling you what I'll do next knowing the four of you won't be able to stop me."

Monroe noticed the way Charlie's body tensed as Davis called her a kid and he made a mental note to never call her that. Come to think of it, the only person he had ever heard call her that and not have it be a bad thing was Miles and he could understand that. Charlie was young, but she was definitely not a child. Monroe did a double take as he caught Miles staring at him, staring at Charlie. He didn't react as he drew his attention back to Davis as he gave away his plans for staring a war between Texas and California. The Patriots would wait it out and then sweep in to pick up the pieces and start anew.

"And now that you know, I think it's time to say goodbye." He looked around to the soldiers. "Shoot them," he demanded and smirked. No one moved for a long moment. "I said shoot them!" Davis yelled.

Slowly, the soldiers adjusted their aim until all guns were pointed at Davis. "Sorry, they're not really Patriots so they don't listen to you," Miles said as the four of them got to their feet.

Behind them, a door opened and in came the old Texas General with Charlie's grandfather. "I have to hand it to you boys, I really thought you were bullshitting me and I was walking into a trap. Guess I'm coming out of retirement after all," he said as he approached Davis. "You're going to love Texas prison," he said before pushing the president to his knees.

Charlie turned around to the solider that had been behind her. It was a rather large man that worked as a blacksmith, posing as a Patriot soldier as per their premeditated plan. She smiled at him before balling her hand into a fist and striking him right in the jaw. He went down, dropping the gun in the process, and Charlie said nothing as she walked out of the church and climbed into the back of the wagon, settling in for their journey to Austin.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: Thanks for all the feedback/love guys! I'm really excited for this story and my outline has a great many chapters so there will be plenty of story to come. First off, I would like to mention that I came up with this while listening to "The Longest Road" by Morgan Page, hence the name of this fic. My goal is to update every Monday morning. If I get enough chapters in the queue, I'll start posting Monday's and Friday's. (As of this very moment I'm writing chapter eight!)**

**I should mention that Bachel is so, so gross, but because it's so bad and will create perfect drama, it will still be a thing, but only a past mistake revealed at the worst possible moment. Another little tidbit if you're new to my writing...I dole out some happy endings, some dark and just plain mean. As for which one Charloe is getting, I'm still deciding so consider yourself warned now! On that note, enjoy!**

TWO

The taps were flowing, the bottles emptying faster than new ones could be found. Austin was bursting with celebration of their victory over the Patriots and the renewed sense of rebellion at the thought of war that would follow. War was not the ideal, but Charlie was ready for whatever took to the Patriots out once and for all. Granted, the Patriots were nothing compared to the Nano, but that was an issue for another day. For now, the dark liquid burning its way down her throat was all she wanted to think about.

Then _he _caught her eye as he strolled through the crowd.

Now there were two things she wanted to think about.

With that in mind, she got up from her table with Miles and some other Texan soldiers to go after Monroe.

"Victory celebrations not your thing anymore?"

Monroe stopped at the sound of her voice. He turned to look at her and was rewarded by the memory of their kiss outside the church the night before. He swallowed thickly as he tried to focus and shook his head. "Not right now," he replied.

She took a few steps closer and extended her arm, shaking the nearly empty bottle of liquor in invitation. "You need to relax."

He took the bottle, his fingers brushing hers. He wasn't quite sure he felt about how he reacted to that light touch. She was having more of an effect on him than he was comfortable with. "Looks like you've relaxed enough for both of us," he said, raising the bottle to his lips.

"I'm just enjoying the moment," she replied.

He handed the bottle back to her and watched as she drank deeply. "Well, enjoy it while it lasts," he said. "Being a soldier won't give you many moments like these."

Charlie snorted. "What, you think I'm becoming a soldier now?"

His brows rose at her words. "Well... Yeah."

"I'm sure you've noticed by now, but I'm not so good at following orders. I would not make a good soldier." Monroe noticed the way she rubbed her wrist; the wrist he knew sported the brand of the Monroe Republic.

"No, you Charlie, are definitely not soldier material." He looked around and saw Miles, Rachel, and Aaron laughing at a table in the crowd and then turned back to Charlie. He tilted his head, beckoning her to follow him.

They walked in silence until the sound of Austin's celebration was dull background noise and the light of the candles and lanterns was replaced by the stars and the moon. "So what now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're obviously not joining the Texas army."

"No," he replied, taking another drink.

"And neither are Miles, my mom, or Aaron. They have the Nano to worry about. That's not something I want to deal with."

"What do you want?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and stared him right in the eyes. "I want the Patriots to suffer."

Monroe's lips curved slightly and he tipped the bottle towards her. "Something we have in common."

She smiled and Monroe found himself enjoying the sight. "So...What's next for the infamous Monroe?"

"Connor's still out there and, like you said, there's still a chance. I have to find him."

"And then what?" she couldn't help herself, she was curious to know. He replied by staring at her to which she rolled her eyes. "Miles said you wanted the Republic back."

"I'm not going to lie and say I don't, but I want my son more than anything else."

She nodded and took the bottle back before raising it to her lips, the last ounce of liquid burning down her throat. She tipped the empty bottle towards him and said, "Well, good luck with that."

As she turned to leave, he reached out for her. "Come with me."

"What? Why?"

He moved to stand in front of her. "Because you're the best tracker I've come across in years."

"Not what you said while we were searching for Miles," she muttered.

He smirked, but didn't comment. "You're more ruthless and dangerous than most people I know. You're brave without being reckless and..." his voice trailed and Charlie grinned.

"Say it or I'm not going."

He took a deep breath, but gave in. "I need you, Charlie."

She stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. "No."

"No? But you just said-"

"I help you find Connor and then what? I either go my own way to find Mom and Miles or I can stay with you and potentially help you rebuild the Republic. Pretty shitty options for me."

His jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with anger. "Charlie-"

"I would rather have Texas in control of the continent than see you as ruler again. You were a dictator, not a leader."

"I know what I was," he said coldly. "I was ruled by anger and greed and I paid the price for it. Before I set my sights on getting the power back on, but I know where I went wrong and I'd like to fix that. I can do better. I _will _do better."

Charlie's lips parted to say something, but he cut her off by taking her empty hand, the one with the brand on the wrist.

"We work well together, Charlie, and I want to do better. With your help I can find Connor and build a Republic I can be proud of."

His thumb brushed over the branded flesh and Charlie bit her lip. He was being genuine; she could see it in his eyes. Whatever darkness lie between them was in the past and she knew she would wind up just tracking him down in the end. She nodded then and pulled her hand away.

"Two things before I agree."

"Name them."

"One, we stay long enough for me to say goodbye and get supplies."

"Done."

"Two, I'm not following you, so don't expect me to take orders. We're in this together and our decisions will be made jointly."

Monroe nodded. "The sooner we go, the hotter the trail."

"I need to say goodbye. You gather the supplies and after a full night's rest we'll head out." She moved closer and grinned up at him. "Also, a simple thank you goes a long way."

Her blue eyes were sparkling with mischief and that damned grin on her face made Monroe grit his teeth. She was close enough that if he moved he could touch her and he wanted to, but something stopped him. Knowing the moment had passed, Charlie began to step away, her body slightly brushing his as she went. "Where are you going?" he asked, turning to follow her movements.

She shook the bottle at him. "It's empty; time for a new one."

"So that's it? We're not going to talk about what happened last night?" The words were out of his mouth faster than he could register what he was saying.

To anyone else, it would have looked as though the smile had stayed plastered on her face, but Monroe saw the twitch of her jaw the way her eyes hardened ever so slightly, indicating that she was remembering their kiss. "What did you want to talk about?" she challenged. "The fact that you kissed me or the fact that that's not all you wanted to do?"

He hadn't expected her to play dumb and ignore it, but for her to be so blatant and make it seem as though she didn't want it made him angry. "How about the fact that you kissed me back?" he returned, taking a step forward.

She held her ground defiantly and tilted her face up to continue their stare down. Her slender shoulders lifted casually and her smile widened. "Okay."

"Okay what?"

"It happened." She took a deep breath, enjoying the tortured look on his face. "What about it?"

He was at a loss for words so he moved his head from side to side to side. "I don't know."

She threw him off guard as she closed the gap between them, her front brushing against his. She was close enough to feel him harden and felt it again as she reached up to lay her free hand on his chest. Slowly, tantalizingly, her hand rose up the curve of his shoulder, the sturdy column of his neck, and then rested on his bearded cheek. "Then I guess we'll figure that out on the road," she breathed and brought his mouth to hers.

The contact was brief, but he could feel it everywhere. He felt the loss instantly the moment she pulled away. Without another word, she turned away from him, leaving him to watch her perfectly shaped ass as she marched towards the town. When she disappeared from sight, Monroe realized he had been holding his breath and exhaled sharply. He ran a hand through his hair as he pondered what he was getting himself into. As he realized how much he really did want to find out, he made his own way back into town to begin gathering supplies for their mission to find Connor.

* * *

><p>When Charlie returned to their table with an empty bottle in her hand, Miles noticed the change in her. He wanted to ask her what it was, but there was something about her stare that made him not want to know. "Where did you run off to?" he asked despite himself.<p>

"I had business to attend to," she replied as she took the bottle from his hand and took a drink. "Where's my mom?" she asked as she handed it back to him and wiped at her lips.

"She went to help Gene at the infirmary."

Charlie nodded and smiled at the sight of Aaron with his arm around Priscilla. She had heard him tell stories about his wife back when she lived with Danny and her father, but to see them together was something else. She could see the love there and it made her ache with want. She had never had that kind of relationship whether it was one of her own or someone else's to see, but it fascinated her enought to want it. Not wanting to go down that road, she turned away and did a double take at the sight of Miles staring at her. "What?"

"You went off with Bass."

"Not really. I went somewhere and he was going in that direction. We talked a little."

He narrowed his eyes. "The guys said they found you two in the back of the church."

She nodded. "You guys went inside with Davis and I told him I was sorry about Connor. He lashed out so I walked away. He followed me to apologize and that's where they found us."

"Uh-huh."

Charlie knew he was aware she wasn't telling him everything, but she had no intention of saying things she wasn't quite sure she was ready to admit to herself. Instead, she got up and beckoned for him to follow. They walked towards the house she was sharing with Miles, her mom, Aaron, and Priscilla as she was ready to turn in for the night.

"We're leaving tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" he said, stopping in his tracks.

"He's going after Connor and I'm going to help him."

He took a deep breath and raked a hand through his hair in attempt to calm his anger. "Like hell you are."

"You really think anything you say or do is going to keep me from going? Let's face it, Miles. I'm not cut out for the army and if we let Bass go after Connor by himself we're just asking for trouble. At least this way I can keep an eye on them and keep them from truly restarting the Republic."

Miles winced. "Bass? When did that start?" he asked. He had heard her say that once before and it had worried him then too.

She shrugged. "I'm going."

He sighed heavily and pulled her to him. "Fine, but you're telling Rachel."

"Coward," she breathed against his chest and then pulled away to smile at him.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and stared at her. "Please be careful," he warned. He wanted to say more, but that would mean admitting that there was something else to be concerned about. Neither of them was ready to talk about that with the other so Miles kept his mouth shut.

"I will," she said as they approached their house. "Night Miles," she said and went inside for that good night's rest she had told Monroe she needed.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

When Charlie woke, it was to the smell of food. It lured her out of bed in just her pants and a dark tank top. Downstairs, Gene was making eggs and sausage. When he noticed her walking into the room, he smiled and pointed to the plate. "There's more than enough for two if you want some."

"Please," she said as she grabbed the plate and went to sit at the table to eat. "Anyone else here?"

"Aaron and Priscilla are still sleeping. Miles and Rachel were leaving when I started cooking. Rachel said something about the infirmary and I would meet her there later. Not sure where Miles ran off to."

"No worries, I'll find him," she said before digging into the food. Going on the road meant less food readily available. She was going to eat like a champ today. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure kiddo," he replied as he made a plate of his own and then joined her at the table.

"I need a first aide kit for the road. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but it would be nice to have a really well stocked kit."

"You're leaving?"

"I'm going to help Monroe find Connor," she said and then took another bite. "Make sure they don't do anything stupid once they have each other."

"Have you told your mother yet?"

She shook her head, her golden waves brushing over her shoulders. "Not yet. I'll get to it," she assured him.

"Well I'm not going to tell her," he replied, his eyes getting big.

Charlie smiled as she took another mouthful. Everyone was so afraid of Rachel that it was amusing at this point. Then again, she got the same reaction from people when it came to herself. Dangerous and cutthroat seemed to run in the family. "I know. Everyone's so afraid of her. You should have seen Miles when he thought I wanted him to deliver the news."

Gene laughed and watched as she finished the contents on her plate and put it in the sink to be washed later. "When are you leaving?"

She shrugged. "Either later tonight or first thing tomorrow."

"I'll have that kit ready for you tonight then."

"Thanks," she said and walked over to sling her arms around his shoulders. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Good," he stated and put his hands on her forearms.

After a few moments, she let go and went back up to her room to grab the rest of her outfit. As she tugged on her boots, jacket, and latched her chain and sword belt around her waist she made a mental list of all the things she had to do today. First things first was to find Monroe and divide the responsibilities. As if he was thinking the same thing, Charlie opened her front door to see him standing there, hand poised in the air as though he was just about to knock.

"Morning," he said, his eyes doing a once over of her body despite his best efforts.

"Morning," she returned and snuck past him, closing the door behind her. "I made a list of all the things we need. I was actually going to find you so we can split up getting them."

"Charlie..." he started and shook his head.

"You're the one that asked me to come with," she reminded him. "I'm in this now. If you leave without me I'll just take my time gathering supplies and then track you down anyway."

"I know I asked, but that's not why I'm hesitant."

"I know," she replied and crossed her arms over her chest. "My words still stand. Are you ready for the list?"

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I know what we need. I've done this before."

"Fine, then I'll tell you what I'm getting today and you make sure you don't get double. I'm having my grandfather make a first aide kit, I'm getting horses, and weapons. I'll probably have time to get a second pair of clothes and water. You can get food-"

"I'll get my own weapons."

She inclined her head. "Fine. Anything else you'll need me to get?"

"No, the first aide kit will do nicely."

"See, you do need me," she said and turned to walk away, but as usually he stopped her. This time with words, not touch.

"Will you wait to tell your mother until we're about to leave? I really don't want to deal with her."

Charlie turned to smile at him and began walking backwards, her hands spread out. "Depends on if Miles caves before I get to it."

As she turned back around, Monroe called after her, grateful that she didn't stop again. "We leave at first light tomorrow." She raised a hand to indicate that she heard him and then disappeared as she rounded the corner of a building.

Monroe ran a hand through his hair and turned to knock on the door. Gene answered it not long after and shook his head. "Miles isn't here."

"Any idea where I can find him?"

"Probably at the prison. Or the bar," he replied and shut the door as Monroe's lips parted to speak.

Brushing it off, Monroe turned and headed to the prison first. He didn't get far before he spotted Miles coming out of a shop. Miles stopped for a second and the stern look on his face let Monroe know he was in for a long speech regarding Charlie. "Miles," he said in greeting. There had only been a handful of times that he felt awkward around Miles, but he could not recall any one of them as bad as this one.

"Bass," Miles returned. As Monroe started to exhale he saw the look on Miles' face, but was too late to duck before a fist collided with his face. "You don't think I noticed the looks you were giving her? Really Bass? She's less than half your age, she slept with your son, and _she's my niece_!" Miles hissed as Monroe rubbed his jaw.

He wasn't going to play dumb nor was he going to assume that Charlie had said anything about their encounters. He knew Miles had picked up on something during their standoff with Davis. "I'm aware," was all he could think of to say. It was neither a confirmation nor was it a denial.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Would you relax?" Bass snapped and tried hard to keep his fists at his sides.

"Something changed between the two of you ever since she brought you to Rachel and I. Whatever it is, I don't want to know, but it has to stop. Bass-" Miles stopped as he realized they had an audience.

The two of them looked around, nodding to those that were watching them instead of carrying on about their day. Bass rubbed his jaw again and shook his head as Miles looked at him again. "She's helping track Connor and once I have him, I'll make sure we get her back to you."

Miles took a step closer and gave Monroe one of the hateful looks he had ever seen. "I swear, Bass. You touch her and I'll make sure it's the last thing you ever do." He shook his head and glanced down for a second before locking eyes with Monroe again. "You know what, whatever you do to her, I do to you."

"Miles-" Monroe started, the color draining from his face as he shuddered.

"Just remember that when you leave." He stepped back and looked up at the early morning sky. "Let's never bring this up again."

"Please," Monroe agreed, wanting that more than anything.

"I'm on my way to the prison to help them with their game plan. You want to join?"

"Lead the way," he replied and walked silently beside Miles towards the prison.

* * *

><p>One of the last stops on Charlie's list was the blacksmith. The man sitting by the fire working on reshaping someone's sword was the one from the church. He lifted his mask when she walked in and his eyes went wide at the sight of her. Charlie narrowed her eyes at the large bruise on his cheekbone. "I'm not here to hurt you," she said.<p>

"What the hell was that?" he asked, anger deep in his voice. "You knew we weren't Patriots."

"You hit me first."

"It was either that or shoot you. You're the one that mouthed off."

Charlie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Hit for hit; it was justified and she wasn't going to apologize. Especially since he was the one that had spotted her and Monroe first, ending their first encounter. "I need my sword sharpened. I need it before you close tonight."

"You think I'm going to do you any favors?"

"No, but I'm willing to pay extra," she said, tossing a bag of diamonds his way.

He opened it and slowly looked back up at her. It was clear he was unhappy about doing this for her, but he was more than happy to take her money. "I'll have it by six," he said and stepped forward to take her sword.

"Thanks," she replied and took her leave of the shop. It was finally time to track down her mother and tell her that she was leaving with Monroe in the morning. She would have saved that for absolute last, but getting money for their travels was something she was going to have to do late at night when there were hardly any people awake to stop her. She pushed the thoughts of thievery aside and made her way to the infirmary.

When she got there she not only found her mother, but Miles, Monroe, and her grandfather. They were huddled in what her grandfather was using as an office and storeroom and they all shared the same look of gloom. Monroe looked at her, but turned away quickly and Charlie noticed the glare that Miles gave him. She rolled her eyes and looked around at the others, waiting for someone to tell her the bad news.

"Really? We're going to keep me out of the loop now?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Davis is missing," Rachel said, turning to look at her.

"How is that even possible?"

"No one knows. It seems that he just vanished into thin air. Those that were still alive don't recall seeing him leave, but there were bodies left behind that say he didn't go quietly," Miles answered. "The Texans are preparing a search party. He hasn't been gone long, we should be able to track him easily enough."

Charlie shot a glance at Monroe, but realized he was refusing to look at her. "How sure are we that the Texans haven't staged this and are keeping Davis somewhere else?" Charlie asked.

"We aren't, but Blanchard doesn't really have anyone but us to hide him from and he knows better," Monroe said, still not looking at her.

"Alright, well, are we joining this search party or no?" Her question was directed towards Monroe and from the way he shifted his weight, she knew he understood.

"Blanchard should have started by now, it'll be dark soon," Rachel observed, looking out the window. "Even the best trackers can't do much at night."

"Then it'll be first thing in the morning," Miles said, looking from Monroe to Charlie. "Bass and I will go find out," he added knowing why Charlie had come there in the first place.

"I'll come with," Gene said quickly.

All three men practically ran from the office causing Charlie to shake her head and smile. "What's with them?" Rachel asked, picking up on their odd behavior.

"They know what I came here to tell you and they don't want to be around when I say it."

Rachel's arms folded in the same way Charlie's were as she stared at her daughter. "Charlie..." her voice was filled with warning.

"Monroe and I are leaving in the morning to track down Connor."

Rachel smiled in a cold, deadly way. "Like hell."

"Miles already tried this, Mom. I'm going whether or not you want me to. He just wants his son and he needs help. Besides, this way I can make sure they don't do anything stupid once they're reunited."

"Since when do want to spend so much time with him? Charlie, he-"

"None of us are saints, Mom. We've all killed other people's loved ones, but we treat Monroe as if he is above forgiveness. He saved me, Mom. When we were leaving New Vegas I found myself in a situation where I wasn't exactly fearing for just my life, but he was there. Instead of taking of advantage, he made sure I got back on my feet and then he's done so much after that for all of us. He just wants to find his son and I think he deserves at least that much which is why I'm going to help him."

Her head tilted to the side as she studied Charlie. "What happened between the two of you at the church? We left you out front by the horses. Why did the soldiers say they found you in the back?"

Charlie hated repeating herself, but she did it with an impassive look on her face. "He lashed out, I walked away, he followed me to apologize and that's when they found us. I was doing a lap around the church just in case it wasn't our men out there."

"Charlie, if he laid a hand on you-"

"Mom, stop. I'm going. You can be mad if you want, but it's not going to do you any good."

"What happens when you find Connor?"

"I don't know. I'll probably come back. If you're not here, I'll find you. It's what we do; find each other."

Rachel's face softened at that and she reached out to pull Charlie to her. There was still a lot of anger and unresolved issues between the two of them, but she knew Charlie was leaving regardless and if this was one of their last moments together, a real possibility, Rachel wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to hold her oldest, sole surviving child.

"Please be careful, Charlie."

"You too, Mom," she said against the older woman's shoulder. After a few moments longer, Charlie pulled away and left the office without another word.

* * *

><p>It was late when Charlie turned down the street to the place where she and the others were staying. Her freshly sharpened sword bounced off her hip as she walked, her pockets filled with freshly looted jewels that she and Monroe would need on their travels. She only felt slightly guilty for taking them, but she knew from past experience that they would need them. A Matheson and a Monroe traveling together did not make things easy.<p>

As she got closer to the house she saw something by the door. After a few more steps she realized it was just Monroe leaning against the exterior. She hadn't seen it earlier since he hadn't looked at her, but she saw the purple tint to his jaw in the dim light around them. "Miles or my mom?" she asked.

"Miles," he replied. "Where have you been?"

"Getting supplies," she said.

"We should leave now."

"Now?"

"The search party for Davis begins at first light. If we're still here they're going to make us join which will put further distance between us and Connor. If Truman came back and helped Davis, fine. We'll track them later and get the satisfaction of killing them ourselves." He watched her unchanging face and rubbed his aching jaw. "You know I'm right."

"I'm not disagreeing. Do you have everything?" she asked. He nodded and looked behind him. She could barely make out the packs behind him, but they were there. "Alright, let me go in and get my stuff."

He nodded and watched her disappear into the house. Charlie made her way quietly through the darkened house. There were a few candles burning here and there for her sake. When she got to her room she stuffed her things into her bag and gathered up all her weapons. She turned around a few times making sure she had gotten everything. As she went back downstairs she blew out the candles so they wouldn't be wasted. It was when she stopped in the kitchen that she saw the first aide kit on the table. She looked back at the stairs and took a deep breath, silently saying goodbye to the rest of the people inside before going back to Monroe.

"Let's go," he said and they walked towards the stable to get the horses she had reserved for them. In hardly any time at all they were on their way out of Austin to begin their journey.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

The moon was still nearly full, but it was on the downward spiral in terms of its cycle. For now, it provided excellent light as Priscilla and Aaron made their way to the well. Normally they would get the water during the day, but they both wanted some time away from the city and to enjoy the silence that night brought them. It was peaceful out here by themselves. Even after they had filled the bottles they brought with them, they wandered around until they found a little hill. That was where they had been for the past half hour, just staring off into the emptiness made visible by the bright moon and the stars.

"I hope Charlie is okay," Priscilla mused, drawing them both from their thoughts.

It had been two days since Charlie and Monroe disappeared. Aaron had been saddened to know that she hadn't said goodbye to him. He had always felt a special bond with her. Hell, he had known her since she was small. The sting of her disappearance lessened when he realized her departure hadn't exactly been planned. "I hope so. God only knows with Monroe."

"I don't think he would hurt her."

"What makes you say that?"

She shrugged as she turned her head to look at him. "He had so many chances and yet he always seems to be there for her."

Aaron let her words sink and in realized she was right. "Still, he's not a liked man, especially out here. Trouble follows him like moths to a flame. She'll always be in danger just by being around him."

Priscilla shrugged. "She's a smart girl, she'll be able to take care of herself."

Aaron smiled as he thought about all the things Charlie had been through lately. A part of him was proud and thought about Ben. Her father would have liked the strong woman she had become, but he wasn't so sure he would have liked the "kill first, ask questions later" attitude of hers. That part eerily reminded him of Miles. Not wanting to think about that, he put an arm around Priscilla. "We should probably head back."

She nodded and got to her feet. "Are you planning on staying here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I want to stay with you," she said, smiling up at him. "But my daughters are out there somewhere and I would like to see them again."

Aaron nodded and pulled her to him. "Any idea where they could be?"

"Maybe Wichita. It's the only place Darren had family other than the East Coast."

"It's a start," Aaron said and smiled at her when she pulled away. "We'll go soon. We'll find them."

They only took but a couple of steps back towards the town before a blinding streak of light forced their eyes shut. When they could open their eyes again they discovered a small group of green fireflies to their left. Both of them stared at the group with wide eyes. Rooted with terror, neither of them could move from their spot. Something changed in the swirling buzz and Aaron squinted as he saw something. It was almost as if they were attacking one another.

His gaze slid to Priscilla who seemed to be realizing this same thing. As he turned back to watch the fireflies, he noticed there was definitely two groups of bugs. A very small group was being assaulted by the majority and they were losing quickly. Their lights started to dim and the ones being attacked fell to the ground. As if that was their goal, the large swarm hesitated for a second and then disappeared as fast as they had come into view.

Priscilla and Aaron could only watch as the battered fireflies pulled themselves together and took on the form of a blonde woman. Priscilla heard Aaron's breath hitch and looked to see his eyes fill with recognition. "Maggie?" he breathed, his voice full of disbelief.

The blonde didn't smile back at him as she wafted over the patches of grass and dirt. She shimmered like a ghost as if there wasn't enough energy to make a full image. He could see through her, what little there was of her. She stopped within an arm's length of him and reached out, her arm forming as it moved. "Help us," she said, her voice cracking.

"No," Priscilla stated defiantly. She was done with the Nano.

"Help us," Maggie repeated. "There is... division... human... key to extinction." Her voice went in and out like a broken record, her image distorting like a hologram every few seconds. "Some of us... too powerful... don't agree."

"I don't understand," Aaron said.

She moved closer and wrapped her hand around his wrist. Priscilla watched as he went still, his eyes wide. It looked as though he were getting shocked, but she knew he was receiving a message. "Help us," Maggie repeated again as she let go, a look of pleading in her eyes.

One instant she was shimmering brightly before them, the next she was gone. In her stead was a pile of fireflies with a dying glow to them. Aaron snapped out of his daze and hurried to scoop them up. "I need a container," he said urgently.

Priscilla found an empty one and held it out so that he could gently put the dying Nano bugs into it. Aaron met her eyes, his full of worry and something else, something like hope? "What did she tell you?" she asked.

"Everything we could have hoped for. We need to tell the others," he replied and gave her a smile before taking her hand and pulling her towards the town.

* * *

><p><em>That feeling of being powerless flowed through her body. Power wasn't something she craved, but losing it was her worst nightmare. She could see Maggie struggling beside her as they sat there, tied to the chairs on the plane. The men were rifling through their packs and poking fun at Aaron being overweight. He was tied down too, but towards the back, too far away to do any real help. One of the men stopped going through her stuff when he realized her eyes were open and Charlie tried hard not to flinch.<em>

_ He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled luridly. He leaned in even closer and closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply. "I wonder if you taste as good as you smell."_

_ "Leave her alone!" Maggie cried out, earning a slap from one of the other men._

_ Charlie's eyes closed for a second and when she opened them again, her surroundings were different. She was standing in a large room filled with people. Some she recognized, some she didn't, but one thing stood out the most. Strausser. He had a gun aimed at Danny and before Charlie realized what she was doing, she moved to stand between them, the barrel centimeters from her skin. As his fingers inched towards the trigger in slow motion, Charlie's eyes closed again._

_ As she expected, the scene changed again. She was pressed against the wall of the bar and someone off to her right was locking the door, keeping her in. Her fingers clutched at the wall trying to force herself to stay on her feet, but the drugs in her system were too strong. The men advanced on her, their leering faces and lust in their eyes made her sick. That feeling of powerlessness hit her again, this time stronger than before._

_ Her vision blurred and her eyes fluttered. When it cleared the bar was gone, replaced with the interior of a former safe house. Neville stood before her with his gun pressed against her temple. Her body shook as she tried to remain brave in the face of death. Her guilt wracked her nerves as his finger slid to the trigger. They locked eyes for what seemed like eternity, but the determination, hate, rage, and sorrow in Neville's dark eyes never wavered. As his finger squeezed the trigger, Charlie's eyes closed yet again, the clicking sound fading away as she found herself lying on the floor of the bar._

_ Her vision was still cloudy, but she could make out the bodies and the blood that littered the floor. She heard footsteps and looked up to see _him_ approach her. He had blood smeared all over him and an unreadable emotion on his face. Had she been more alert she would have been able to read it, but as it was, she could feel herself giving in to the drugs. The feeling of being powerless coursed through her as he approached and she felt true fear for the first time in a long while as he leaned down. As his arm extended to reach for her, Charlie felt her eyes closing again, her name on his lips swarming around her like an echo._

Charlie inhaled deeply as she sat up with a jolt. Every fiber of her being felt as though she had been hit by a car and her skin was bathed in a cold sweat. As she opened her eyes she saw Monroe kneeling by her side. He had a hand on her shoulder and concern in his eyes. "Charlie?" he questioned wanting to know what was wrong and how he could help.

There was fear in her eyes, real fear, and Monroe tried to remember if he had ever seen that in her before. If he had, he couldn't recall. He had seen bravery, determination, sadness, and a myriad of other emotions, but not fear. She had never been this vulnerable around him and Monroe didn't have the slightest clue how to handle this situation.

She closed her eyes as her mind worked through what was real and what had been a nightmare. Her breathing calmed and her heart wasn't slamming against her chest anymore. Slowly she blinked her eyes open and looked up at Monroe. She felt his hand on her arm and took the comfort he offered.

"Are you alright?" he asked as she moved into a sitting position. He stayed where he was, on his knees, and looked at her.

She nodded and brushed the hair out of her face, pulling it together and over one of her shoulders. "It was just a dream."

"That was one hell of dream," he commented, earning a sharp look from her.

She nodded. "I was reliving some of the bad things that happened in the past."

"Oh," was all he could say. He pushed himself to his feet and offered his hand to help her up as well. She took it and nodded in thanks as he tightened his grip as she stumbled. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked, their arms slowly going back to their sides.

"The bad stuff."

Monroe was grateful to see that the normal playfulness in her eyes was back as well as that permanent smirk on her lips. "I wasn't dreaming about you."

He was surprised by that. He was silent as she moved to their supplies in search of water. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Charlie-"

She shook her head as she finished the bottle and tossed it back in the bag so they could fill it again later. "Let it go, Monroe. That stuff is in the past."

"You don't have to be strong all the time, Charlie."

"Yes I do. If I let myself wallow every time something bad happened I would be a train wreck. Bad stuff happens, I deal with it, I move on. What's done is done." She turned and began to walk away from their makeshift camp.

"Where are you going?" he asked, taking a step after her.

"I need to pee," she replied over her shoulder and disappeared into the thinly spread nature surrounding them.

Monroe sighed and looked around. He admired her strength, but he hadn't realized until that moment that he had never seen her _not _be strong. She was stubborn and strong all the time. He snorted as he thought about how much like Miles she was. He stopped moving as his thoughts went down another path, one that was interrupted by Charlie's voice calling his name.

It was soft and devoid of any urgency, but filled with wonder. He followed her voice as she called for him a second time and stopped short when he found her. Charlie had her back to him when he approached, her gaze stuck on the patch of dirt before her. There were five fireflies, but instead of yellow they were green and they appeared to be dying, their lights flickering.

"Nano?" he asked. She nodded and moved to get a closer look. As she bent down to pick one up, Monroe lifted her by her bicep and pulled her back. "Don't touch them," he pleaded, looking at her with wide eyes.

Before Charlie could protest or pull out of his grip, a cracking noise like static on a TV filled their ears and they could only stand there and stare in awe as a figure appeared before them. They both recognized the woman and Charlie could feel her eyes well with tears. "Nora," she breathed.

Nora smiled, a bright flash of light coursing through her image. "Help us," she said, looking at first to Monroe and then to Charlie. "Chosen." No sooner had she said the words did she vanish.

Charlie pulled out of Monroe's grasp and bent to pick up the fireflies. Four of them had stopped glowing and had wilted, but one of them still hummed with energy that she could feel in her hands. "What the hell was that?" Monroe asked.

"I don't know," Charlie replied as she took the surviving Nano in her other hand, letting the dead ones fall to the ground. "But we should keep it."

She took his hand and placed the bug into his palm, curling his fingers around it. "What-"

"Put it in a bottle or something," she said as she let go of him. "I still have to pee." Needing to take care of those needs as well as needing to deal with her nightmares and seeing Nora again made Charlie want some alone time. Monroe was right, she didn't need to be strong all the time, but she wasn't ready to be vulnerable around him on purpose yet. Instead, she left him there, holding a dying piece of Nano while they both wondered what the meaning of their message was.

* * *

><p>Miles and Rachel had been lounging on the couch when Priscilla and Aaron stormed in. They sat up quickly, Miles reaching for his sword, ready to confront whatever danger followed. Aaron fumbled as he produced a bottle and set it down on the coffee table. Aaron took a moment to catch his breath while the new couple took in the sight of the barely flickering light the captured bugs were emitting.<p>

"Aaron," Rachel began, her voice light. "Is that-"

"Nano, yes," he answered.

"Why would you bring that here?" Miles asked, still holding on to his sword.

"They asked us for our help," Priscilla stated.

"They took the form of Maggie," explained Aaron. "They couldn't form whole sentences, but they said something about extinction and a human key." He paused and shook his head. Rachel noticed the way his eyes lit up in the dim light as he continued. "They told me everything."

"Everything?" Rachel questioned.

"Everything," he repeated.

Miles put his sword down and looked at the bottle that contained the Nano. "Aaron, please explain what the hell is going on."

"It was taking too much energy for them to speak as Maggie. She touched me to deliver their message. As you know from what they told us from possessing Priscilla, they have decided that humans are the problem and they next step is to destroy the human race. But that's not true for all the Nano."

Rachel's eyes went wide as she exchanged glances with Miles, but they remained silent as they waited to hear what else Aaron had to say.

"Some of the Nano know that killing off the human race is not what they were created for. There is a schism within the Nano, those that believe they were created to help heal the human race want our help. They want to stop the other Nano before they team up with the Patriots or anyone else bent on destruction."

"They're teaming up with the Patriots?" Miles stated. "Fuck."

Aaron nodded, but he smiled brightly. "The good Nano are still small, but they're building their numbers. They mentioned a Chosen One, someone that they would be able to evolve in order to save the human race and take out the other Nano. All they want in return is for us to help. The message was cut short, but I remember something about Bradbury, Idaho. It was significant enough for me to remember, I'm sure it's something worth looking into," he concluded.

"Did they mention who the Chosen One might be?" Rachel asked.

Aaron nodded and smiled warmly at her. "Charlie," he breathed. "They said it was Charlie."


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: So I still haven't decided on a happy ending or not for Charloe, but! that's a long way off, so plenty of time to decide. These two are very intense...**

**P.S. thank you to all of those that took the time to read and those that read/reviewed! You're awesome :)**

FIVE

Odessa, Texas had always been up and coming. Even now with nearly two decades without power, it was still in pretty good shape. Monroe loved his hometown of Philly with all his heart, but he admired the way Texans took pride in what was theirs. All signs to Connor's trail had led them here, much to Monroe's dismay. Sure, it was Texas, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be swarming with Patriots. Upon arrival, he was relieved to see how wrong he had been in assuming.

They had spent half the day riding towards the town and the rest of the afternoon providing Connor and Neville's description to anyone that would listen. Their search had seemed to come to a dead end as they met at the bar as the sun began to set. Monroe was pacing outside the establishment waiting for Charlie. As she approached she could see the frustration on his face. "Any luck?" he asked, hope filling his eyes as he saw her.

She shook her head slightly, feeling a little sorry for zapping the hope from her eyes. "There are still a lot of people here and we only had a half a day. We'll just have to continue tomorrow." She then held a hand up, revealing a brass key that glinted in the dying sun. "I got us a room."

Her smile widened into a full on grin as he stared at her. She had wondered what his reaction would be when she booked it earlier. She was thoroughly amused at the conflict that seemed to be going on inside his head. "Charlie-"

"Relax, would you? Not that we can't get more, but I would like to use our funds sparingly. We can save money by getting one room when we hit towns like this. We'll even take turns sleeping on the floor."

He reached up to rub at his jaw, wincing slightly as he went over the spot Miles had punched him a few days ago. That made him sober up and he nodded. He squared his shoulders and inhaled. "How thoughtful. I suppose I'll be sleeping on the floor first."

"If you insist," she said and moved to open the door.

The bar was crowded enough that they were able to slip their way through the people unnoticed. The one thing they both liked being so far away from the East Coast was that Monroe wasn't as easily recognized. They managed to find a table towards the opposite side of the entrance and settled in with their first round without any hitch. Charlie's eyes scanned the room incessantly, looking for anyone the least bit familiar, stopping as she saw Monroe from the corner of her eye across from her.

"It's only been three days," she reminded him, pulling herself closer to the table so he could hear her better.

"I know that," he said as he stared at his glass while he twirled it with one hand.

"We'll find him."

His gaze lifted to meet hers. "What makes you so sure?"

"I find people," she stated. "It's what I do."

"Charlie-"

She rolled her eyes; she was really getting tired of him saying her name that way, half condescending, half exasperated. "I found you didn't I?"

He snorted and leaned brought the glass to his lips, downing the glass in one large gulp. "I'll give you that," he said, setting the glass back on the table. He stared at her, their eyes locking. This was one of those moments where they usually got into trouble as they had conversations just by staring at one another. Before anything happened, her gaze slid away from his and her body tensed as she saw something behind him.

"Speaking of finding you," she said, a small smirk on her face as she leaned in even closer to Monroe. She saw the way his throat moved as he swallowed from her nearness.

"What is it?"

"Adam."

"Who?"

"The Bounty Hunter from New Vegas," she said and casually looked away, positioning herself directly between Adam's line of vision and Monroe, as Adam squinted in their direction.

Monroe's eyes widened as he remembered. "You have a good memory for faces."

"When it comes to people who try to take my targets, yeah."

He frowned and shook his head slightly. "Matheson's and their grudges," he mumbled, thinking of Miles. "I guess Porter's too," he added, thinking of Rachel. He felt his lips curve into the ghost of a smile as he thought of how much like both of them Charlie was. The smile vanished as Charlie moved quickly, getting out of her chair to get closer to him. She swung one leg over him and leaned in as she straddled him. "What _the fuck _are you doing?" he asked, trying hard not to shove her away.

"Go with it," she whispered against his ear. "He keeps looking over here like he remembers us." She placed her hands on his face and tipped it up, moving hers closer to his so that it looked like they were kissing. Instead, her lips were hovering over his and she was still able to see over him to keep an eye on Adam.

"Char-" he started, trying to think of anything but the way she felt on top of him.

"It worked," she said, smirking ever so slightly as he failed to keep up the facade that he hated the position they were in. She continued to watch for a moment as Adam turned their back on them and then looked down at Monroe. She had only planned to pretend, but the memory of their kiss at the church came rushing forth and the urge to repeat that mistake took over.

She smiled as she closed the very small gap between their lips and kissed him. His hands went to her hips to keep her in place as her fingers gripped the sides of his face, angling it up as her tongue swept across his lips, begging for entrance. His lips parted and she pushed on to explore every inch of his mouth. Her boldness made him harden and she rolled her hips automatically, showing him just how into this she was. His fingers dug into her hips in a way that she was sure she would have bruises in the morning.

Just as Monroe fought the urge to take her right then and there, not caring who was around to see it, someone bumped into their chair. "Get a room," the man grunted in disgust as he passed.

Charlie pulled her face away from Monroe's, but not very far, her eyes looking over him again. "Let's," she breathed, sliding off his lap and taking him by the hand.

Dumbstruck, Monroe followed her lead through the crowd, not letting go of her hand even after they had left the bar. She led him through the town, but Monroe didn't realize that her determination was that of a hunter stalking its prey, not driven by lust. Not until she let go of his hand in favor of using her fist to take someone down.

The man hit the dirt face first with a thud. He scrambled to turn on his back in the hope of defending himself, but stopped moving at the sight of Charlie and Monroe standing over him. "I knew it was you!" he hissed at them.

Monroe stared at him and then at Charlie, still lost in a lust filled haze. "Adam," Charlie greeted as she leaned down and helped him to his feet. Once upright, she slammed him up against the nearest building, her knife resting against his gut. "Nice to see you again."

"What the hell is he still doing alive?" Adam asked.

"That's not important right now," Charlie said, her words cutting Monroe deep, snapping him back to reality.

"Are you kidding me? He was a big payday for me and I let him go-"

"You didn't _let _me have him," she corrected. "He almost escaped and I caught him. I'm the one that got _him_ to spare _you_."

"You said you were going to kill him."

"That's still the plan," Charlie returned, half serious, half joking.

"Hey!" Monroe snapped as he moved closer so that he could look Charlie in the eye. Not wanting to give Adam any moments of weakness, she kept her eyes on him and Monroe had to squash the fact that that impressed him. "No one is killing anyone."

"Speak for yourself," Adam spat.

"He's right," Charlie said in favor of Monroe, returning her knife to its sheath and taking a step back to give Adam some room. Only then did she dare glance at the former leader for a second. "We just have a few questions for you that you will answer honestly and then we're going to go our separate ways and pretend this never happened."

"What's in it for me?"

"Nothing," Monroe replied at the same time Charlie said, "Name your price." He looked at her wildly to which she shrugged and stared at Adam, waiting for an answer.

"It's that simple?" he asked, looking between the two of them. "I just answer some questions and I get whatever I want?"

"Within reason," Charlie said. "I don't have the money you would have gotten for turning him in, but I'll try my best to give you what you want."

"What's to say you won't agree and then kill me after?"

Monroe smirked as he answered, "Nothing."

Adam looked at Monroe with hate in his eyes and then back to Charlie. "Fine. I'll do it because you spared my life. My price is diamonds."

"Done," Charlie replied faster than Monroe could dispute, earning a hard glare from him. "Are you still working with the Patriots?"

"Yes," he answered. "Technically, anyway. I'm still under contract, but the last time I spoke to the guy giving the orders, he seemed a little occupied doing something else. I'm in between contracts at the moment."

"Was one of your targets ever Tom Neville?"

Adam snorted. "Of course. He was target number three after you and Miles," he replied, nodding towards Monroe. He smiled proudly at Charlie. "You were on their list too, but only recently did you jump into the top ten."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes and Monroe smirked as he waited for he to lash out. He was slightly disappointed when she didn't make a move. "Have you seen him recently?"

To the unlikely duo's surprise, Adam nodded. "He was on his way out when I came into town the day before last."

"Was he alone?" Monroe asked, desperate for the answer to be no.

Charlie saw his eyes fill with hope as Adam shook his head. "No, he came into town with a travel companion, but he left with a few more."

"Was his companion a man about my age, light brown skin, and curly black hair?"

Adam nodded and Monroe took a step forward despite himself. "Did they happen to say where they were going?"

He rolled his eyes and took a step away from Monroe. "Are you kidding? None of them could shut up about their destination. They sounded like a broken record; like it was the only thing they could say. Not Neville's companion, but the people he met here."

"Where?"

"Bradbury, Idaho."

Charlie and Monroe exchanged glances and she shrugged. "Never heard of it," she mumbled.

"Little town that never grew out of the old west stage. It's about fifty miles south of Boise," Adam answered. "I passed it through it once or twice when I was young."

"Anything else you can tell us about them?" Charlie asked.

He looked thoughtful for a second and then shook his head. "No, that was it," he said and put his hands up in surrender. "I swear."

"I believe you," Charlie said lightly and reached into her back pocket to take out a bag of diamonds that she had brought with her to pay for their drinks. She grabbed Adam's hand and held it palm up while she dumped some jewels into it. "Thank you."

"That's a lot," he mused.

"Take them and go before I decide to kill you and take them back," Monroe said, taking a step forward.

Adam didn't even hesitate to heed Monroe's threat. He disappeared into the lightly crowded streets, leaving Monroe and Charlie alone. "See, told you we'd find something," she said, returning the bag to her pocket.

No sooner had her hands settled down at her sides did she find herself sandwiched between the building and Monroe. One of his hands rested on her waist, the other sinking into her hair to tilt her face towards his. His face was dangerously close to hers and he was staring at her with a mix of lust and rage. "I don't know what the hell that was back in the bar, but don't ever use me like that again."

She fueled his rage by not trembling and having the audacity to smirk up at him. Her arms rose until her hands were lying flat on his chest. "If I remember correctly, you didn't seem to mind," she stated as her fingers slowly curled around the material of his shirt; whether she was going to push him away or pull him close, she didn't know.

"I _do_ mind, Charlie. It's very messed up and all sorts of wrong. It has to stop."

She swallowed thickly and tried to keep herself in check. "Then stop," she challenged. "If it's so wrong, why do you keep giving in? The line's already been crossed, Bass, so stop feeling sick every time you get a hard on."

Bass.

She'd called him Bass.

There was something strange and hot about it; hot enough to take the rest of what he planned to say to her and erase it from his mind. He stared down at her, knowing that she was waiting for him to close the gap between them and capture her lips. She was begging him with her eyes and the way her tongue darted out ever so slightly to wet her lips, but he was able to regain whatever scraps of morals he had left and pulled himself away from her.

"I mean it, Charlie. This has to stop. Whatever is going on between us has to end."

Charlie stared at him for the longest time as she battled with relief and disappointment at his declaration, but determined not to let either of them show. After a moment of collecting herself, she pushed away from the wall. "Consider it over," she said as she strolled past him. Monroe's hands balled into fists at his sides as he watched her walk away. Once she disappeared from sight, he ground his teeth and made his way back to the bar, suddenly in desperate need of a drink.


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: anyone else watch Once Upon A Time? If so, how happy(ish) were you to see "Rachel/Neville" in the same room? Oh nostalgia...**

**p.s...yes, a filler, but ch 7 is pure Charloe goodness!**

SIX

It had been five days since she had seen her daughter, two since Aaron brought the jar of dying Nano to her. Rachel could count the hours of sleep she had in those last five days with all of her fingers. Her constant worry about her daughter coupled with round the clock work on fixing the bugs prevented her from even wanting to rest. It didn't help that Blanchard kept calling Miles away from her to help them search for Davis; a search that proving to be useless. Rachel had grown accustomed to Miles' presence in order to sleep peacefully. Instead of worrying about her lover and her daughter, Rachel threw herself into figuring out how to save the things she thought she wanted dead.

As she poked and prodded at one of the bugs with a variety of tools, trying her best to understand what was wrong and fix it, she buried the images of her daughter and Sebastian Monroe alone on the road. An image she could have gone without surfaced and it cracked her concentration, allowing the sharp point of the tool to slip and break her skin. She returned the bug to the jar with the others and went to the drawer by the sink for a strip of cloth and some water to clean her wound.

"Rachel?" came Miles' voice as he entered their latest place of residence.

"Miles," she greeted, trying her best to scrounge up a smile.

"I thought you promised me you'd sleep."

"I can't," she said as he reached for her hand and the cloth.

As he tied it to keep any more of her blood from spilling, he sighed. "Worrying this much is only going to make you sick."

"It's not just Charlie that I'm worried about," she said as she looked at the jar on the table. The glow from the Nano was even dimmer than it had been a few hours ago. "They're dying and I don't have much time. I have to fix them."

"No you don't, Rachel."

"You heard what Aaron said. Priscilla was possessed by the majority of the Nano that wants to end humanity and take over for themselves. They think that's what they were created to do in their search for perfection, but the Nano that appeared to them yesterday said they didn't want that. There is a schism within the Nano, Miles. If I can fix these we can find others and it will help us stop the rest."

Had he not been aware of the Nano since the beginning, he would have thought Rachel was a sleep deprived lunatic. He reached out and took her non-injured hand, squeezing it for comfort. "Rachel-"

"They said there was a key, a chosen one. If I can fix them enough for them to tell us at least that much we'll have a significant advantage."

"We have an advantage," he insisted. "Aaron said Maggie had told them about a place called Bradbury, Idaho. It was significant enough for them to tell him that part, it's significant enough to check out."

Rachel pulled her hand from his and went back to the jar. "I have to try, Miles. They came to us for help and until they die, I won't stop. It's either that or lie awake wondering what the hell Bass is doing with my daughter." She stopped as he gave her that tight lipped stare he always did when she brought up that topic. "I'm ready to go to Idaho, but I'm not going without you."

"Just say the word and we'll go."

Rachel laughed. "You'd leave Blanchard and the war against the Patriots?"

"They're both pretty deadly, but Blanchard has a vast army behind him. He won't need me for much longer. He'll be just fine going after the Patriots without me. We're the ones that know about the Nano and how powerful it can be. If leaving here to stop the little bastards before they team up with the big bastards, I'm completely on board."

"I-"

"Please come upstairs and sleep, Rachel. We can talk about this later after you've rested. Aaron and Priscilla should be included in this discussion, don't you think?"

Rachel sighed and nodded, letting Miles pull her close. As his arms tightened around her, she found it hard to keep her arms open. For the first time in nearly a week she felt the need for sleep like no other. As her eyes began to close, the light of the fireflies winked out. A tear escaped from the corner of her eyes, but she didn't say anything as Miles led her upstairs. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

* * *

><p>They had ridden hard for the better part of three days. The fourth day they decide to take it easy as to not strain the horses. They had decided this during a five minute conversation, the longest one they had had since she walked away from him in Odessa. They looked at each other even less.<p>

As usual, Charlie was up before him. The first thing she noticed was the change in the air and the dark sky. It was still early, but even by now the first rays of light would be casting a golden glow on everything. Charlie inhaled deeply as she stared up at the clouds from her position on her back. There was definitely a storm coming. She sighed and pushed herself to her feet. From the looks of things it was going to be one hell of a storm and it was going to come soon. They would need to find shelter.

She moved away from their camp to relieve her bladder and came back with every intention of waking Monroe up. Instead, she decided it wouldn't hurt to let him sleep. She decided to pull out the bottle containing the firefly. It had been almost four days now and the thing was still alive. Every time she pulled it out, Charlie noticed it looked better and better. She gently tipped the bottle upside down until the tiny little bug landed in her open palm. She set the bottle down and brought her hand closer to her face. It's glow became brighter and it even flapped its wings, something it hadn't done before she put it in the jar.

That brought a smile on her face.

One that quickly vanished at the reprimanding tone of Monroe's voice.

"You shouldn't touch that thing."

Charlie lifted her eyes to stare at him, frowning as the bug stopped moving its wings and landed in her palm again. She was just glad to see that the glow remained healthy. "Good thing it's not up to you," she muttered as she gently returned the bug to the bottle. As weird as it might be, she didn't want to stress it out too much. If it was truly trying to heal, the last thing she needed was to accidently squish or drop the thing.

He wisely didn't comment as he turned his face up towards the sky. "Damn it. The last thing we need is a storm."

"We'll need to find shelter," she said and then saw the concern flicker over his face. "I can still track through the storm. We can keep going until it gets really bad and then continue when it lessons."

"I'd rather not risk it," he said quietly. As much as he would love to push through whatever kind of weather, it truly wasn't worth the risk of getting hurt in the storm. "We're tracking leads now, not actual tracks." He knew she knew that, but it felt good to say it out loud as if he needed to remind himself.

She nodded and returned the bottle to her bag and began getting her stuff onto her horse. "Should we go?"

"We can stay here for a little while longer. I think I saw a stream not too far away. I could use a little freshening up. It won't take too long. There's a small town up ahead; I'm sure we can take shelter there before the storm hits. You can do some hunting and we can eat before we go."

Charlie nodded absently as she slowed her movements. She could use some freshening up too, but there was no way in hell she was going to do that too. She would just take advantage of the storm later. She turned towards the bush where she had her bow and quiver stowed away. "I'll see what I can get," she said and turned her back on him as she went in search for breakfast.

* * *

><p>It was mid-afternoon when Charlie and Monroe strolled up to the town limits of Brownfield, Texas. It had definitely been a small town pre-blackout. Now it looked like almost completely abandoned. Charlie couldn't help but think about a ghost town her parents had taken her too when she was young. By the time they reached the first building the rain had begun to fall. They both kept a keen eye out for any signs of trouble, but as the rain picked up, they turned their attention towards seeking shelter.<p>

Luckily they were able to find a place that would store the horses and themselves without crumbling around them while they slept. Their shelter had once been a small barn. There were three stalls and just enough room to store a few bales of hay, equipment, and have one horse at a time out. They exterior had clearly seen better days, but everything was intact and provided they weren't hit with a tornado, they would be fine.

Monroe put the horses in the stalls one by one as Charlie checked the perimeter and the small storage closet for anything of use. Turning up empty handed, she settled for moving debris from a section on the floor so they could sleep without rolling over on something they shouldn't. By the time they stopped moving about and sat down, the storm was in full swing. Charlie's head rose towards the ceiling at the first clap of thunder.

"Don't tell me storms scare you," Monroe said, breaking the silence between them.

She shook her head as her back rested against the empty stall behind her. "I've always liked storms. Granted, not when I'm caught in them like this, but it's a good reminder as to how powerful a force nature can be."

"I don't think anyone needs a reminder on the power of nature."

She shrugged and dared to look at him. He held her gaze evenly and both of them seemed to relax. For them, not staring at each other was more awkward. However, it became clear very fast that neither of them knew what to say. Charlie decided to take this time to relax and closed her eyes, concentrating on the storm raging outside rather than the fact that she could feel Monroe's eyes as he continued to stare at her. Her breathing became deep and more even and soon even the weight of his gaze didn't affect her.

Monroe wanted to stare at something else, but the only thing worth looking at was Charlie. Even though he had made up his mind and deemed her off limits, he still couldn't resist looking at her. He watched her as she slipped down to lay on her side, indicating that she had fallen asleep. After awhile, even though his gaze was trained on her, he was lost in his own little world. Soon he gave up and laid down next to her, the only spot on the floor that would leave him sore in the morning.

As he closed his eyes he remembered the last time he had been that close to her, the morning after their fight in Odessa.

_Monroe had had one too many drinks after Charlie declared that whatever it was between them was over. Not that he had blamed her as he was the one that kept saying no. By the time one of the barkeeps told him to leave he could barely recall where the room was. He didn't remember Charlie telling him, but somehow he found it. He didn't even register that the door had been unlocked until later the next day. He closed it as quietly as he could and locked it behind him before taking off his boots. He looked at the room, deciding what part of the floor looked most inviting, but he couldn't keep his eyes from the bed and Charlie._

_Knowing it was bad, he made his way to it and sprawled out on the mattress. He was lying on his back, one arm tucked under his head, the other down at his side. He closed his eyes as the room began to spin and when he opened them again it was to see the sunlight filter through the drapes that had clearly seen better days. He was still in mostly the same position, but there was something different. It didn't take long for him to realize the difference was Charlie. She was no longer on the other side of the mattress, but lying with her back against his side. The arm at his side was now stretched out and his bicep had turned into her pillow, one of her delicate hands on his forearm._

_She moved and pushed herself up. She looked at his arm and then turned so that she could see his face. She looked up and down the length of his body and silently climbed off the bed. She pulled her shoes on and grabbed her bag, tossing the keys on the edge of the bed. "Meet you at the stables," was all she said before she leaving him as she had done the previous night._

Thinking about that caused Monroe to turn his head to the side. Charlie was sleeping with her shoulder against his, her face turned his way. Aside from that morning she had woken from a nightmare, this was the only other time he had seen her vulnerable. Just another reminder of how wrong for her he was; he had caused that hard exterior she kept herself wrapped in.

Pushing those thoughts away, Monroe let his eyes close and joined her in sleep.

* * *

><p>When he woke the next morning, Charlie had an arm around his waist, her face buried in the crook of the arm he had wrapped around her back. Her eyes were open and staring back at him, but neither of them said a word.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

SEVEN

They didn't talk about the morning after the storm, but the comfort that it had brought them seemed to ease the tension. By the time they had followed their small leads to Clayton, New Mexico, they were back to their comfortable silences and speaking with just a glance. They still didn't talk much, but that had never been one of their strong suits anyway.

True to Wasteland fashion, Clayton was rough. There was no leader here which meant people were free to do as they pleased. Some were nice and honest, but, for the most part, were hard to find. It was a miracle the anyone spoke to the dangerous looking outsiders, but by the end of the day they had secured a lead.

"Farmington isn't that far away," Charlie said as they walked through the town. "We could ride through the night and be there by early to mid afternoon tomorrow. Should be enough time to catch up."

Monroe shook his head, surprising her. "I'd rather not push too much. We rode hard to get here in the time that we did. We'll leave at first light."

Charlie nodded and gestured to the inn off to their right. "One room or two?"

"One," he replied and their eyes met. Charlie knew his answer was due to the fact that this town was sketchy. They were new in town; easy targets. If word got out that she was alone for the night, she could almost guarantee that the night would end badly.

"One it is," she said and went to secure it for them while Monroe waited outside.

He peered out at the people that wandered the town as he waited. Most of them had seen and done things that gave them the hard looks they sported. This was why he hated the Wasteland. There had never been much here to begin with, but the hostility that ran through the entire empire was too much. Even though Monroe had been feared, there had never been fear of one's neighbors while living in his Republic. He sighed heavily as he thought of the rubble that was once Philly, trying hard to squash the familiar anger that came with the memories.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Charlie as she stepped outside. She beckoned him to follow her and then led them to their room towards the back. The moment they walked in, Charlie was pleased to discover that only were there two beds, but a tub with a well tap connected. Her face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and Monroe had to force himself to look away.

"Who would have thought the Wasteland would have such a luxury," she said as she placed her things down on one of the beds.

"There's a bar a few buildings back. I'll give you some privacy." He placed his stuff on the other bed.

"Thanks."

"Just don't empty the well," he teased, somewhat serious.

She grinned at him. "No promises."

Monroe rubbed his jaw as he watched her slip into the bathroom. Once the door closed, he turned and decided he definitely needed to go. Being this close to a naked Charlie was asking for trouble. With that, he slipped out of the room and locked the door behind him. He wasted no time in turning and heading for the bar not far from the inn. He didn't know if Charlie was the kind of girl that would lounge in the water until she couldn't stand it or if she would only use what water she needed. He could picture her lying in the tub, the water barely covering-

His thoughts were interrupted as someone bumped into him. "Watch it!" the guy hissed as he continued walking.

Monroe ground his teeth and shook his head. There was no need to go down that road. After all, he had been the one to draw the line and put an end to things before they got too far. He sighed with relief as he sat on a stool at the bar. He was in desperate need of a drink. _That's not the only thing I'm desperate for_, he thought before he could help himself.

As if the universe had heard him, a woman with short dark hair and full round hips approached him, a wide inviting smile on her face. "You must be new in town."

"How'd you guess?"

"Nothing goes unnoticed here," she said and ordered a drink of her own. "How long are you in town for?"

"Only for the night."

"Shame," she replied, her eyes raking over his body.

"How so?" he asked, smiling at her over the rim of his glass. It had been a very long time since someone had been this forward with him.

"That means I only get one night with you," she said, downing her shot with ease. She moved to stand between his knees, her hands sliding slowly up his thighs. "Guess we better start soon," she added, her voice low with desire.

He smiled and put his glass down before placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back. "While I appreciate the offer, I'm going to decline."

One of her brows rose as she looked down at his lap and then back up at his face. "Well, if you change your mind, my name's Cara," she said and sauntered away.

Monroe shut his eyes for a moment and then signaled for the bartender. "A double please," he ordered. He definitely needed alcohol if he was going to make it through the night.

* * *

><p>Charlie could have fallen asleep in the bathtub, but she knew Monroe had wanted to use it too. After spending what felt like eternity getting clean, she peeked around the door to make sure the coast was clear before going through her bag for a change of clothes. Before emptying the tub she washed the clothes she had changed out of and draped them over what was left of the sink. She secured her sword around her waist, pulled on her jacket, and decided to head out and meet Monroe for a drink.<p>

He had said there was a bar a few buildings back, but as it turned out, this town was full of bars. She couldn't say it surprised her that much; from the stories she had heard there wasn't much else to do in the Wasteland. Hell, after the blackout, there wasn't much else to do anyway. It was after the fifth one Charlie realized if she was going to find Monroe she would have to go inside and take a peek around so she started with the one closest to her.

There was a decent crowd inside the establishment and they all seemed to be in good spirits. It was the atmosphere that immediately let Charlie know Monroe was not there. He might have been fun back in the day, but he would be somewhere quieter. After one last quick scan, Charlie turned to leave, but her path was blocked by a man not that much taller or older than she was.

"You can't leave," he said, a smirk on his lips.

Charlie bit back the panic as she began to feel the helplessness she had felt the last time she had been cornered in a bar. Her hands balled into fists and she knew she was ready to strike. Apparently he sensed it too and stepped back, holding his hands up.

"No, no, no," he said. "It was supposed to- Damn it, that was really aggressive and creepy, I'm sorry." Charlie felt herself relax as she stared at him. He seemed to come undone just by her intense gaze. "I was going to say you can't leave before I get the chance to buy you a drink."

"What makes you think I'd let you?" she asked.

"Well I wouldn't really blame you if you didn't now," he said and ran a hand through his hair at the awkwardness. "Gosh, I'm really sorry."

There was something about his demeanor that made Charlie believe him. Something about his light green eyes and golden hair coupled with soft features and a kind smile made her smile back. "Well as an apology you can buy me a drink," she said.

"Pick your poison."

"Whatever you choose," she said and followed him to the bar where he ordered them a round.

They moved through the crowd until they found a space that gave them room to breathe. "I'm Trick."

"Charlie."

"What problems are you running from that brought you to this little slice of heaven?" he asked, his eyes full of humor.

"I'm helping a friend track someone down."

"A tracker, huh? That's a pretty nifty skill." He took a drink and watched as she did the same. "One of many I presume."

Killer. Thief. Hunter. Just to name a few. Instead of saying any of those at the risk of scaring him away, Charlie nodded. "You have no idea."

"Is that so?" he returned, his eyes raking up and down her body.

Charlie took another drink and a deep breath soon after the liquor had burned its way down her throat. Trick was cute and trying hard to impress her. She had been frustrated since her first encounter with Monroe and now that he had closed the door on that route, she felt free to take Trick up on the offer that she knew was coming soon. She sighed as she forced those feelings away like she had done when she hooked up with Connor and downed the rest of her drink. Monroe be damned; he just because he wasn't going to make a move didn't mean she couldn't find satisfaction from someone else.

"You wanna get out of here?" she asked, setting her glass on the table beside them.

His eyes widened at her boldness. "Um, yeah. Sure."

Charlie smiled as he tried to play it cool and took him by the hand after he set his glass on the table next to hers. She led him through the crowd and through the nearly empty streets until they reached a place that was secluded enough for her to do what she wanted. Once they were out of sight she turned and pushed him back against the wall, her front pressing against his. She reached up and brought his lips down to hers. His hands fell to her hips to hold her close as he explored her mouth.

Her hands slid down his chest until they stopped at the waistband of his jeans. As she began to undo the snap, he reached down and pushed her hands away. He pulled back enough to smirk at her. His fingers moved to her jeans to mimic the actions as he said, "Ladies first."

She grinned and widened her stance as he undid her pants enough to allow him to slip his hand behind the material. She hissed and as his index finger slid between her folds, touching her where she craved attention most. Her head tipped up and his lips sought her neck without missing a beat. She wasn't sure if he was skilled enough to have brought her closer so fast or if she was just that worked up, but Charlie never got to experience the release she sought as Trick was yanked away by the back of his shirt.

Charlie bit her lip and could only move in slow motion as she refastened her pants. Through her haze she saw Monroe throw a punch at Trick. "Jesus, Charlie. Every time I turn around you're fucking someone else," Monroe growled.

Charlie gave him a lazy smile. She wasn't sure if she wanted to lash out with her fists or her words. Monroe was used to getting punched as was evident by the scars and bruises that marred his body so Charlie went with the second option. "Well _you_ weren't going to. Girls have needs too."

She saw the fury in his eyes as he stared at her. "She didn't tell me she was with anyone!" Trick interjected, one hand wiping away the blood that flowed from his nose.

"We're not together," they replied in unison.

Monroe glared at Charlie for a moment before turning on Trick again. He grabbed him by the shirt and stared him right in the eye. "You have two seconds to get out of my face and so help me... If I see you anywhere near her ever again, you won't live to see another day," he threatened and let go.

Trick didn't think twice before scrambling away.

Monroe kept his body turned away from Charlie as she stood there, silently fuming. She wanted to lash out again, say something to make him hurt, but something in his stance made her hesitate. She had seen him angry, hellbent on revenge and out for blood, but his was pure anger. She could see the way his muscles bunched under his clothes and in his exposed skin. So instead of saying anything, she did nothing but watch as he simply walked away without saying a word.

* * *

><p>The amount of money Monroe would have had to burn on alcohol to erase what he had just witnessed was more than he had in his possession. He recalled how he had come to be in that awful situation; by drinking until he started to consider Cara's offer, meaning it was time to get out of that bar and go to sleep. He had gone to the inn hoping that Charlie was done with her bath and decent. Instead, he was greeted by an empty room. After a moment of swearing at her recklessness, Monroe had set out to find her.<p>

Now he was on his way back to the room at the inn wishing he had never gone back out in the first place. He was debating on whether or not he should get his things and leave Charlie here on her own when he felt himself being shoved into a building.

"What the hell was that?" came Charlie's voice from behind him.

"You're welcome."

"Excuse me?" Her blue eyes were wild as he turned to look at her.

"I saved you from making a big mistake."

She snorted. "You've saved me a few times; that is _not _what you were doing back there."

Their emotions were feeding off one another's, leading them down a dark path. "We don't have time for this kind of thing."

"If someone had approached you I'm sure it would have been okay," she said, her voice dangerously low.

"Charlie-"

She shook her head and cut him off as she stepped forward. "So let me get this straight. You decided you can't have me and that means no one else can, but you are free to bang whoever you want?"

"No, I-"

"You know what?" she asked rhetorically, cutting him off again. "I don't give a shit what you do. So please do us both a favor and get over yourself. I told you we would figure our feelings out on the road and you've decided for us already, but that means you gave up any right to keep me from being with someone else. As soon as we find Connor I'm going back to my mom and Miles," she said and made her way towards their room.

He was hot on her heels and the moment the door closed, he slammed up against it. "I had the chance to fuck somebody else, but I didn't take it because no matter how much I want to stick to my guns and keep my hands off of you, Charlie, I can't. I don't want to think of anyone's hands on you, anyone else's mouth on your skin..." he shook his head. "God help me, I want you."

"Good," she breathed and reached up in order to bring his lips down to hers.

She gripped his face tightly as to not let him pull away ever again. His hands were on her hips, his fingers digging in in order to pull her close. Their kiss was frantic and raw, fueled by their lust for one another and their anger. The tension and frustration they had caused each other since they had reunited in New Vegas also made an appearance, making them both ready to explode simply from kissing. His mouth crushed hers as they explored each other. Their tongues battled for control, neither of them wanting to give up to the other.

Needing air, Monroe broke their kiss first by simply moving his lips to her jaw. He nipped and suckled her skin as he made his way down the column of her throat. She tipped her head to the side and let out a breathy moan as her fingers wove their way through his hair. He forced his fingers to let go of her hips so that they could slither up her sides. They curled around her jacket and tugged until it slid down her shoulders. He let it fall to the floor beside them and then groaned as let her right hand glide down to rub him through the material of his jeans.

Charlie whined and clutched at the material of his shirt when he pulled away from her. He captured her lips as he brought them away from the door. On their way to the bed, they undressed each other. Her shirt was ripped away and they tripped over his jeans as he kicked them off, but nothing broke the spell of lust they found themselves under.

They were completely naked by the time the back's of Charlie's knees hit the bed he had claimed earlier. He had his arms locked around her as hers were looped under his, her hands on his shoulder blades. Their lips were locked, still exploring and battling. His erection pressed against her stomach and Charlie moaned as his fingers tugged at her hair, angling her to deepen the kiss. He pushed forward as if to place her on the bed, but Charlie resisted and smirked into their kiss.

Monroe gasped with surprise as she turned them around and pushed him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking up at her. His eyes raked over her and he took in the sight of her. There wasn't much light in the room, but the small cracks in the walls here and there allowed him to see how beautiful she was. His eyes fluttered as she moved forward, positioning herself so that she was straddling his waist. Her left hand rested on his shoulder while her right went to cup his face. She brought her lips hungrily over his and rocked her hips, indicating she was more than ready.

Monroe reached between them with his left hand, his right digging into her hip to keep her in place. He ran his finger through her folds, enjoying the way she hissed into their kids. She was soaking wet and more than ready for him. As he dipped his middle finger into her body he groaned at how tight she was. His cock twitched with anticipation. His thumb tweaked her clit and his eyes shut for a second as her walls clenched at his finger, sucking him in deeper.

"I want you inside me," she whispered against his lips.

That was all he needed.

Monroe withdrew his left hand from her heat in favor of wrapping his hand around his cock. Without any forewarning, he pushed his hips up and sank deep inside her. They moaned in unison. His hand went to the small of her back and then began rocking back and forth. Her hand moved from his cheek to sink into his hair. She grabbed some of it and forced his head back, her lips immediately going to his neck.

"Fuck!" he panted as he continued to thrust in and out of her. His hand went back to where their bodies were joined and used his thumb to rub her clit.

She shuddered around him and he could feel her short breaths against his neck as she came for the first time. He used her momentary stillness to switch positions. By the time Charlie was down from her high she was on her back with Monroe's weight pressing pleasantly down on her. Her knees were bent and her thighs were cradling his body as he drove into her again. Her hands were resting on his shoulders, his thrusts picking up speed. Charlie met his pace without missing a beat.

She began to pout when he pulled back to sit on his knees. He pulled her down and lifted her legs so that her knees bent over his shoulders. From that angle he was able to slam into her with incredible force, making sure that he buried himself completely before repeating the action. Her head ground against the blankets beneath her, her hands fisting them as well. They stared at each other like they always did, neither one of them daring to close their eyes or look away. It made the intensity of their tryst burn brightly.

"_Bass_!" she cried as she felt herself launch into her second orgasm. Her eyes were still open and he could see her come undone as he kept thrusting away.

"Charlie," he breathed as he came mid thrust. Her walls were milking him, drawing every bit of his seed into her. He gave a few more thrusts and then unhooked her legs from his shoulders. He pulled out of her and then moved to lay beside her. They both said nothing as they stared up at the ceiling, panting hard to catch their breath.

Monroe blinked several times as he fought the need to fall asleep right then and there. The anger and the rough sex had taken its toll on his body. As he turned his head to look at Charlie, he could tell from her hooded gaze that she was feeling the same way.

They didn't smile or say anything as their eyes met. They knew what had happened and that it would affect them for the rest of their future, but at this moment neither of them wanted to talk about it. Monroe stretched out his right arm and after Charlie lifted her head, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her close. She laid his head in the crook of his arm and turned her body towards his. His fingers brushed over her side idly as she looped an arm around his waist. They stayed that way as they drifted off into much needed sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

EIGHT

Blood.

The ground was painted with it.

Pain.

It was all Charlie could think about as she adjusted her position to fire her gun.

The gun gave a click that made Charlie's heart sink into her stomach. She was out of bullets and it was clear that her attackers were far from it. "Shit," she muttered and tried not to cry out as she sat back against the remains of a wall. She looked around for anything of use, but stopped at the sight of an unconscious Monroe. Panic began to take over as she watched the blood seep from the wound on his upper thigh.

Charlie saw something from the corner of her eye and tried to get up. She cried out in pain despite herself. She gulped down oxygen as she heard footsteps getting closer and closer. She knew everything would be over in a few moments, but she knew she wouldn't go down without a fight. She reached for her sword and prepared herself for whatever came, but as her would-be attacker turned the corner, a single gunshot rang out and he fell forward.

Charlie trembled as she looked up and saw someone move towards her. This was it. She clutched the handle on her sword. He stopped when he saw her and Charlie's eyes welled up with tears of recognition and relief as she saw who it was that approached.

**Twelve hours ago**

Charlie sat on the bed that she had claimed the night before, but had never used. Monroe was still asleep on the other bed. He was sprawled out on his stomach, his right leg and arm draped over the side. He hadn't crawled under the covers and she hadn't covered him up meaning his bare ass was in full view. Charlie tried her best to ignore it as she finished off the breakfast she had brought back for both of them.

She had been awake for at least an hour. After disentangling her body from his, surprisingly without waking him, Charlie had gone to the bathroom to freshen up. When she had emerged to pull on some clothes, she noticed Monroe had taken on a new position of hugging the bed. She had resisted the urge to crawl back into bed with him and instead went in search of food. He had still been in that position when she'd returned and was still there now that she had eaten.

Finished, she put the tray on the table between the bed and grabbed the bag and rummaged around for the container with the Nano in it. As she pulled it out, her eyes widened in shock. There were _two_ bugs inside the bottle. They both appeared to be glowing brightly and their energy seemed to vibrate the bottle, something she could feel in her fingertips. She opened the bottle and the Nano ascended. They buzzed around her playfully and Charlie couldn't help but smile as they rested on her arm.

She jumped at the sound of a loud crash from the room they shared a wall with. She could tell Monroe had woken with a start and turned her eyes towards him. She watched as he rolled onto his back. She couldn't help but grin as she watched the moment Monroe realized he was naked and exposed. Her gaze raked over his body, taking in the sight of his tight muscles and toned skin. Her eyes rested on his cock and she shivered as she remembered the way it felt buried deep in her body. Blushing, she turned away, forcing her attention back to the Nano on her arm.

From the corner of her eye she could see him reach for the pillow behind him and brought it down to cover his lower half. "There's breakfast on the night stand," Charlie said, keep her eyes averted.

"Thanks," he replied gruffly, his voice still heavy with sleep.

He slid off the bed and awkwardly sought out his clothes. After stepping into his jeans and fastening them, he took in the sight of her. She was sitting on the other bed, indian style. There was an empty bottle propped up on her bag and two Nano bugs on her arm. She was fully dressed and had already eaten as was evident by the half empty tray on the nightstand. He felt strange knowing that she had done all of this without him noticing until now.

"You're welcome," she replied as he moved to sit on his bed, the side that was closest to her. She lifted her arm as to better inspect the bugs, trying hard not to look at him as he dug into the food. She sighed and returned the bugs to the bottle. She wanted to know exactly how the second one had gotten there, but that was something she would have to worry about later. "We should get going."

Monroe nodded and watched as she placed the bottle carefully back into her bag. He placed the now empty tray on the nightstand. They both got to their feet at the same time and Charlie turned to move, but he stopped her by placing a hand around her bicep. She didn't move a muscle, but swallowed thickly from being this near to him, especially when she was very aware of his bare chest. "Are you okay?" he asked her, his voice low.

She turned her head to look at him, her gaze devoid of emotions. Monroe knew it was her way of throwing up those mental walls of hers. Better she not show any emotion than let the world know what she was thinking. It was driving him nuts. "That wasn't my first time, Monroe," she replied, her voice equally as low.

Monroe's jaw ticked at the sound of his name. She had gone back to using his last name. He recalled her voice when she had called him Bass during their tryst the night before and he realized he liked that much better. He shook those thoughts away and stared at her. "I know that."

She inclined her head and stepped out of his grasp. "We don't have to do the awkward morning after thing," she said as she finished gathering up her stuff. "Tensions were a little high and we both needed release."

Monroe watched her move around, disappointment taking hold of him. "Is that all that was to you?" He was a little offended at how dismissive she was being.

She stopped, her back to him, and shrugged after a moment.

"Fine," he muttered and looked around for his shirt. "Let's get out of here," he added and quickly gathered up his things.

They turned the keys back in to the lady that ran the inn and then went to the stables to get their horses. They then set out on their way to Farmington where they hoped their search would either be furthered with a new lead or end all together. They rode in silence as they always did, but this time there was a palpable tension, one that could be cut with a knife. They kept stealing glances at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking, but they knew full well when the other's gaze was upon them.

They rode until early afternoon before stopping to relieve themselves and give the horses a break. Charlie was leaning against a tree with the Nano bottle in her hand when Monroe came back from his bathroom break. He had seen the two bugs in the room in Clayton, but it had just hit him that there were _two_. "When did you get another one?" he asked.

She shook her head, her eyes transfixed on the bugs. "There was only one when I looked last. I pulled the bottle out this morning and there were two. I know they replicate, that's how they got so big in the first place, but I thought they were dying."

"Apparently not," Monroe stated.

"Apparently not," she repeated and took a deep breath before putting them away again. As she stood up, their eyes met and she gave him a tight lipped smile. "We should go."

He nodded, but didn't say anything as they mounted their horses and continued on their way.

It was almost nightfall when something shifted in the air and Monroe stopped short. Charlie knew better than to speak at that moment and she picked up on his tension. Her eyes scanned the deserted street for any signs of danger, the hair on her neck standing up to tell her that something was there, even if she couldn't see it. There were several ruins around them, indicating that this had once been a busy street, but now empty, meant perfect places to hide.

Charlie took a deep breath and the moment she began to exhale, all hell broke loose.

It happened in slow motion. Gunshots rang through the air and Charlie barely had time to duck as a bullet whizzed past her head. "Charlie!" Monroe yelled, but the warning fell on deaf ears as she her horse fall forward. She pulled her head up enough to see that her horse had been shot and if she didn't move now she was going to be pinned when they fell. As it was, she didn't have enough time to react and her leg was caught as the horse went down.

She cried out as she felt her leg twist and snap. She put her hands over her head as she heard more gunshots, this time some of them coming from Monroe as he returned fire. It didn't take long before he had sank to his knees beside her and did all he could to lift the horse off of her. Her arm went around his shoulders and he stood up, supporting her with one arm and shooting off his gun with the other. He moved as fast as he could to put himself and Charlie out of harm's way by using a crumbling wall for cover.

Just before he was able to get them to safety, he felt himself get hit and they both went tumbling. Charlie screamed as she landed on her knees, her injured leg jarring in the process. She turned to see Monroe lying on his side. There was a gash in his upper thigh that had either been from a graze or from an actual puncture, but he was too far for her to take a look at. He had hit a corner of the wall on his way down and there was blood coming from behind him. He was out cold and Charlie was trying hard not to panic.

She took a deep breath and reached for his gun, biting her lip to keep from crying out at the pain. She tried to push all of her emotions out of the way so that she could fight back and when she was ready, she raised her gun and fired, hoping for the best.

**Present**

"Connor? Is that really you?" she asked, her voice tight and raw with both fear and relief.

"Charlie?" he was in disbelief, but as he moved closer he could see it was her. He ducked as more gunfire rang out through the barely lit sky. He noticed the way her eyes fluttered and he cupped her face, shaking her lightly. "Come on, stay with me."

"Monroe, he's dying," she choked out, feeling her own need to slip into unconsciousness. The pain in her leg was too much for her to stand at the moment.

Connor glanced at the body next to her and his eyes widened at the sight of his father. "Neither one of you is dying," he said. "Not on my watch." He assessed her injuries and shook her again, forcing her gaze to lock with his. "I'm going to get the rest of these sons of bitches and then I'll be back for both of you," he promised. "Stay with me Charlie," he pleaded and disappeared from sight.

Charlie watched him go and then let her eyes close, unable to stay awake any longer. The last thing she heard was one final gunshot and then nothing but silence.


	9. Chapter 9

NINE

Everything around her seemed familiar yet so foreign that Charlie shuddered. She was in her old bedroom, the one that she had spent the majority of her adolescence in after her mother had left. All of her things were there, precisely as she remembered them. Precisely.

"Yes, we pulled this from your memories," came a hauntingly familiar voice from behind her.

Charlie turned to see her father standing in the doorway. She felt her eyes water and she began to take a step forward to hug him, but stopped herself. This wasn't real. Ben was dead; there was no way he was here. There was no way _she _was here, wherever "here" was. That left only one explanation; she was dreaming. Only it didn't have the right feel for a dream.

"It is a dream, but you are correct in your assumptions," Ben stated as he took a step towards her.

Charlie's eyes widened slightly as she connected the dots. "Nano."

He inclined his head. "You saved us in our time of need and we would like to return the favor. It is the least we can do for the Chosen One."

"What?"

His head dipped forward yet again. "Not all the Nano are bad, Charlotte. We have been in contact with the Creator and a plan is in place. We had to wait for the right time and gather enough strength in numbers to make our move. We have been waiting for the right time to approach you."

"Why am I so special?"

"Genetics," he answered as if that would be enough. When he realized she was still lost, he expanded. "Humanity is evolving, Charlotte, and your DNA is the key to making that happen. Not all of us want to end humanity, but it does need to change. We can work together and change the world."

At a loss for words, she could do nothing but stare at him. He turned as if listening to something only he could hear. "You're going to wake soon and we will be there to save you. If you act fast, you might even be able to save your friend too."

Then he was gone and her vision began to blur before fading quickly into nothing.

Charlie's eyes opened and she gasped at the blinding pain that shot up her leg and spread through her body like wild fire. She propped herself on her elbows and watched the small swarm of fireflies descend on her leg. The pain intensified and it was all she could do not to scream, pass out, or both. But suddenly, it was over and the pain vanished as if it had never been there at all. The fireflies swirled around the room for a moment as if to make sure she was alright.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The bugs, seemingly satisfied with their work, took off out the crack in the window, disappearing into the night.

Charlie swung her legs over the side of the bed and gently got to her feet. She took a few tentative steps and marveled at how good she felt. She knew her leg had been broken from when the horse fell on her. She had felt it break in more than one place during the fall, but now it didn't have so much as a scratch on it. She smiled and looked around, noticing her bags in the corner of the strange room.

While teetering in and out of consciousness, she had seen and heard some things and with the Nano having healed her she was able to recall her moments of being awake. Connor had tracked down the rest of the enemies, apparently out hunting with a few of his newly made travel companions. They had a wagon and were able to get Charlie and Monroe to this safe house. Charlie remembered him carrying her up to this room and laying her down on the bed before disappearing as Charlie passed out for the last time.

Monroe.

The memory of him surrounded by his own blood had Charlie out of her room in search for him. She took a deep breath at the sight of the five other doors in the hallway. She made her peace with the fact that she would have to disturb some people by going into each room. There was an ache in her gut as she sped across the hall to the first door, an ache that grew as she realized he might not have made it. She forced herself to be gentle as she opened the door and peered inside.

Relief washed over her as she caught sight of Monroe lying face up on a mattress in the middle of the room. The moonlight streamed in from the window, allowing her to see his chest rising and falling evenly, indicating he was sleeping. There was nothing but a sheet draped around his waist, a small pink blotch stuck out over his thigh. He looked so peaceful lying there, but if he was still bleeding, he wasn't doing well.

Charlie shut the door quietly and made her way towards the bed. She knelt by his side and gently pushed the sheet back enough to see his thigh. Someone had dressed the wound recently, but blood was already seeping through. She frowned as her fingers brushed over it.

Her touch made him stir and he woke with a start. His head turned towards her, his eyes full of confusion and surprise at the sight of her. "Charlie? What are you doing?"

"Checking your wound," she responded.

He stiffened as she moved to stand. She moved his head to the side to inspect that wound was relieved to see that it had stopped bleeding. His hair was matted with dried blood, but at least it seemed to have closed itself already. She hovered over him as she turned to check his leg again. He batted her hand away, acutely aware that he was naked.

Charlie frowned and rolled her eyes. "It's a little late to be modest now," she chided.

He ground his teeth, but didn't comment as she began removing the bandage. "What the hell happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Your horse went down and I could have sworn you broke your leg. I pried the damn thing off of you and then we went for cover. Now you're molesting me in my sleep."

She grinned despite herself. "Yes, my leg was broken and if it wasn't for Connor, we'd both be dead."

"Connor?"

She nodded. "You got hit in the leg on our way to cover and when we went down your head hit the wall and you passed out. You were bleeding out, I wasn't much good, and then my gun ran out of ammo and there was someone coming around the corner. Connor was there and killed that man before he got to us. He brought us here, wherever 'here' is."

He eyed her leg. "If it's broken, how the hell are you standing on it?"

"The Nano healed me," she replied, dropping his bloodied bandage on the ground. "They came to me while I was sleeping and thanked me for helping them when they were dying. They said something about how their survival depended on my survival. I woke to them healing me," she tilted her head as a thought occurred to her.

"Charlie-" he started as she pushed the sheet back even more, exposing the rest of his hip.

"This might hurt," she warned and let her hand hover over the bullet wound. Her fingertips began to glow green like the Nano and Monroe gasped with pain. When he thought he couldn't take it anymore, it was over. The sound of a bullet dropping to the floor filled his ears and his eyes were filled with the sight of Charlie standing there, shaking. "It worked," she mused.

Monroe moved quickly to reach for her as her knees gave out. He ended up sitting with his legs over the side of the bed and drew Charlie perpendicular over his lap. He was even more aware of his state of undress now that her ass pressed against his cock. Her jean clad legs stretched out in front of her, her bare arm pressed against his chest as her head rested against his clavicle. His arms wrapped around her protectively, his hands idly stroking her back. "How did you... What did you..." he couldn't say it aloud, it was too surreal.

"Something the Nano said, I thought I would give it a try." Her voice was low that even with the absolute silence around them, Monroe had trouble hearing her. "If it hadn't worked..."

Monroe heard what she didn't say rather than what she did. "Well it did. I guess I owe those little bastards. And you."

He felt her laughter, even if it was only for a second. "I think we've saved each other as much as we've tried to kill each other."

"Not true," he argued.

Charlie lifted her head and gave him a questioning stare.

"Personally, I have never tried to kill you nor have I ever ordered a hit on you. I do remember plenty of times where the opposite was not true."

Her lips parted to counter, but closed the moment she realized he was right, more or less. She had tried to kill him more times than she could count. "I almost killed you once. I pulled the trigger and everything."

One of his brows rose. "You did?"

"New Vegas. Do you remember when your handler told you someone had paid well to meet with you privately?" He nodded. "Well, I was the one that paid, Adam and the other Bounty Hunters got to you in the nick of time. My arrow landed in that wooden post right where the spot between your eyes would have been." She reached up to place her fingers in said spot.

He closed his eyes as her other fingers gently touched his face and then slid back, sinking into his hair. He barely registered the fact that she had turned in his arms so that she was straddling him; again. Her touch felt good, especially when she laid her forehead against his and he heard her inhale. Her left hand rose to settle on the center of his bare chest, feeling his heart beat beneath her palm. "Charlie," he whispered, his breath warming her skin.

She let her own eyes close and smiled as she felt him harden from her touch. She angled herself slightly so that she could press her lips against his. One of his hands flattened against her back while the other snuck into her hair. He cradled the back of her head to pull her closer. The kiss was tender and filled with a need for comfort; the complete opposite of their kisses the night before.

Thinking about it made Monroe cringe at the memory of his behavior and turned his head away, breaking the kiss. "We shouldn't."

She let out a sigh of frustration. "So we're back to this?" she asked, sliding off of his lap.

He grabbed her hand and stood up, letting the sheet fall away. He laced their fingers together and reached up to cup her face, turning it so that she could see him. "You weren't a means to an end, Charlie," he whispered. "It goes way beyond that."

Charlie met his gaze evenly and saw the truth behind his words. There was more that he didn't say and she heard those words too. She turned to face him, her cheek nuzzling his palm. "I know."

They were both too stubborn to say anything else, so they agreed with their eyes; they were going to take it one day at a time. Charlie closed her eyes and went with his movements as he tilted her head up. His lips closed over hers, this kiss just as tender as the last. This time, Charlie was the one to turn her head away. She stepped away from him and moved to lie down on the bed. He said nothing as he laid down next to her and gathered her in his arms, their positions the same as it had been the night before.

This time, Charlie fell asleep with a smile on her face as she heard the comforting sound of his heart beating in her ear.


	10. Chapter 10

TEN

Charlie's eyes opened before the rest of her began to stir. It took a moment for her to sort through the fog in her mind and remember the events of the night before. It came flooding back to her as she saw an arm latched around her middle. She turned her head to the side and saw Monroe beside her. He was stretched out on his stomach, his face turned towards her, arm around her. She smiled and took a deep breath. She knew she would have to get up soon, but at this very moment she felt too good to move.

She didn't get to enjoy herself too long as the door to the room opened, Connor's voice stopping short at the sight on the bed. "I hope I'm not disturbing... you..."

Charlie brought her free hand up to lay a finger over her lips. He stared at her mostly clothed figure next to his father's nude form and just gaped. Charlie waved him away and after a moment, he pulled himself together enough to go back into the hall. Charlie closed her eyes for a second as she prepared herself for _that _conversation. With a deep sigh, she managed to slip out from under Monroe's arm and into the hall to meet Connor.

"When did that start?" he asked, hiking a thumb towards Monroe's room.

"I'm not talking about this with you," she said, her voice dangerously low.

He snorted. "I get it."

"What exactly do you get?"

"That night we hooked up, you were totally jealous about him and Duncan so you came to me. We had a great night together and you were clearly happy with the outcome, yet you refused every other advance." He shook his head. "Makes sense now; you wanted a Monroe, just not this one," he added, gesturing at himself.

Charlie crossed her arms over her chest. These were things she hadn't admitted to herself; she sure as hell wasn't going to talk about them with Connor.

"God, my ex and _my father_. Now there's a sentence I never thought I would say, nor have I ever wanted to say."

"Connor," she said, the warning back in her tone. "You and I are not going to talk about this. Not now, probably not ever. Bring it up again and I will make sure you can't speak again. Are we clear?"

He smirked and Charlie knew exactly what he was thinking; she sounded a bit too much like Monroe. They _had _been spending entirely too much time together, even before this little road trip. It was bound to happen eventually. She ground her jaw and Connor simply nodded. The laughter faded from his eyes and he took a step back as he realized something. "How the hell are you up and moving anyway?"

The change in topic brought immediate relief to Charlie. "The Nano healed me last night. They let me heal Monroe too."

He shook his head as he tried to wrap his head around her words. "What?"

She sighed. "The three of us need to talk. I don't want to repeat things."

He nodded in understand. "I'll be in the living room downstairs. I'll get some food ready," he said and turned away.

She stared at the door to Monroe's room and stood there, staring at it. She wondered if the bond they had created last night would still be there when he woke or if last night had been as much of a fluke as the one before. She had gone from wanting to kill him to wanting to fuck him and now she was smack dab in the middle of those feelings. They seemed drawn together no matter what else was going on around them and ever since she had seen him in New Vegas, other feelings had surfaced. Having been too much to deal with, Charlie had pushed them aside and ignored them. She wished she was still able to do that.

She swallowed hard and opened the door only to find him fastening his jeans around his waist. There was a stain of dried blood and a rip in the upper thigh of the material from where he'd been shot and she had to force herself to remember that the damage had been healed. Her eyes traveled up and rested on the V his pelvic bones were making as they disappeared beneath the waistband. She bit her bottom lip as her eyes traveled up, taking in the sight of his chiseled chest marred by scars both old and new.

Their eyes met and if she was embarrassed about staring, she didn't let it show, making Monroe hard. They moved towards each other at the same time, meeting in the middle of the room. Her hands went to his sides while one of his went to her hip, the other getting lost in her golden locks. His lips descended over hers in a way that was comforting and lustful. She parted her lips and met his tongue eagerly. He tugged at her hair enough to angle her face to deepen the kiss. She widened her stance and pulled him closer, their mouths moving in perfect unison.

Her fingers twitched as she realized they were moving for the front of his jeans, but her logic got the best of her and she turned her head away, breaking the kiss.

"Connor's waiting downstairs for us," she whispered, surprised her voice wasn't as shaky as she thought it was going to be.

He took a deep breath and sighed, but didn't pull away. "I really don't give a shit."

Charlie couldn't help but smile at the playful tone of his voice. This was the first lighthearted moment they had shared together in what felt like an eternity. The fact that it was coupled with an intimate one made Charlie shiver. "This is what you came here for," she breathed.

His response was to smooth the hand on her hip over her ass and smirk at her. "I know that."

She shook her head as best she could with his fingers still tangled in her hair. "Monroe-" she started, but felt him cringe.

"Bass," he corrected.

She swallowed thickly, her body beginning to tremble despite herself. Calling him _that _name would force them both to confront the development between them. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. "Bass," she whispered.

He kissed her again, this time showing her gratitude. "Thank you for saving me," he murmured against her lips.

"Don't thank me," she returned. "The Nano granted me that gift; it's them you should be thanking."

He groaned and released his hold on her to pull away, both of them trying not to show how much the loss of touch affected the other. "Fuck the Nano," he grumbled and turned to search for his shirt, giving Charlie the ability to see the scars from the whipping he had taken for Connor. She turned away and moved towards the door. As she went to open it, Monroe's hand pressed against it, keeping it closed. He leaned into her, his lips against her ear, and whispered, "To be continued."

Charlie shuddered and opened the door when he allowed. They walked side by side until they reached the stairs. She went down them first and saw Connor coming through the front door with a bag in his hand. He smiled at her, but looked away the instant his eyes strayed to the man behind her.

"Dad," he said, his tone harsh as he led them towards the living room.

"Son," Monroe returned, a touch of humor there.

Charlie rolled her eyes as she plunked herself down on the end of a three-seater couch. She crossed her legs and let her forearms rest on her thighs as she watched the other two sit. Connor sat in a very beat up recliner while Monroe debated sitting next to her or somewhere else. He settled on the other end piece of the couch and then looked around. "Where's your friend?"

Connor stopped for a moment and then shrugged as he went back to digging in his bag. He brought out food and tossed some things their way. "He left with the others a few nights ago."

"Instead of us having to ask how or why every few minutes like children, why don't you tell us everything that's happened since we last saw you," Charlie declared, tearing into the chunk of bread. She wondered where he had gotten it from as it was still warm.

"I'm assuming he told you about how Neville and I ambushed him at his rest stop."

"You two tried to kill him, but failed. Again," she fired back without missing a beat. "What happened next?"

A light smile touched Monroe's lips as he took in the sight of her. She was sitting so casually, but he knew she would be ready to jump up and into battle at a moment's notice. Her eyes were shining brightly as she derailed Connor's attempt to shake her. As he stared at her, his smile slowly began to fade. She was eerily like Miles at the moment. There was a friendly demeanor about her, but one that could turn deadly the second a threat arose. He shuddered as he let his mind wander down that dark path of what if's concerning Charlie's parentage.

Monroe was grateful as Connor's voice pulled him back to their current situation. "Neville started going crazy after only a few hours of sitting in that shed. Just after dark he started talking to the wall. I thought he was just speaking out loud, but he started answering his own questions and I realized he was having a conversation with nothing. Full on crazy. Then it got stranger as he kept saying Jason as if the guy was there with us."

Charlie tensed at the memory of Jason; of the way his eyes opened wide with shock while blood poured from the freshly made gun shot in his stomach. Monroe found himself wanting to reach out and comfort her as he knew what she was thinking about, but remained where he was, leaving her to deal with her inner demons.

"Then what?" she asked, her voice gruff as her guard roared to life.

"Each day Neville got a little crazier; he barely stopped to rest or eat. I had to force him to do so. It got a little better in Odessa. He wanted to stay there, but I quickly realized it was because there were more people like him converging on the town. About a dozen in total, Davis and Truman included, met there, all stark raving mad about Bradbury, Idaho. I went with them, our group gathering more and more each time we stopped, but when we got here it got to be too much."

"When did they leave here?" Monroe asked.

"Day before last."

Monroe looked at Charlie as she turned her head towards him. Their eyes met as they debated what to do without saying a word. They weren't far behind the group, if they moved soon they might catch up with them by this time tomorrow. Charlie looked away first, her eyes going to Connor. "Anything else you can tell us?"

He shook his head. "Nothing you probably don't already know. From what I understand the Patriots and Nano have teamed up. That can't be good."

"It's not," Monroe agreed.

"All the more reason to go to Bradbury and find out," she stated, rushing on before either of the men could call it a done deal. "But I don't think we should go alone."

"What do you mean?" Connor asked, but from the look on Monroe's face, he already knew what was going to come out of her mouth next.

"We need the others," she said, more to Monroe than to Connor. "Miles will be great backup and my mom and Aaron known the Nano better than anyone."

The thought of seeing Rachel again made Monroe want to kill something, but he pushed that thought away. "They're all the way back in Austin. If we go back we might lose the trail. Maybe Bradbury is only the beginning."

"I came here to help you find Connor. I did say I was going back after we found him," she said, holding Monroe's gaze. "Well..." she gestured at his son sitting opposite them and watched as he tensed.

Monroe didn't speak for fear of lashing out at her, but his anger was out of control. Charlie was staring back at him, her gave unwavering. Connor got to his feet, rolling his eyes as neither one of them looked his way. "I'll give you guys some space," he said and left.

The moment the door shut behind him, Monroe and Charlie got to their feet as if they were being controlled. "I thought we were finally getting somewhere after last night."

She nodded. "I know I told you I would leave when we had that fight, but I'm over that," she assured him. "I don't want to leave, but it's for the best. You guys track them and I'll get the others. If you guys leave Bradbury you can leave a path for me to track. Out of everyone you know what I look for; it'll be the easiest way to find you."

"I don't like the idea of you on your own."

Charlie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "This need to protect me because we fucked the one time is not doing anything for me." She winced a little at her own words, but it was too late to take them back. "I'll be fine on my own, I've done it before."

"I know you'll be fine. I never doubted that."

"You have to know that this is the best way."

"What about asking your new Nano friends to send a message for you?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

The look on his face made Charlie wonder if she was looking in a mirror. His face reflected the thoughts in her mind perfectly. They had just stumbled into something new and neither of them wanted to part ways on the off chance it would change everything. Wanting to ease his worry, and partly to ease her own, she closed the gap between them and took his hands in hers. "I will be fine and I _will _find you."

"Just don't go into any bars," he warned, his voice low.

Her lips twitched into a smile as she relived the day he had slaughtered all of the men that had drugged in her their efforts to use her body. The trust that had formed between them when she woke up to realize that Sebastian Monroe had been the one to save her. "I won't."

He leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. "I don't want you to go," he whispered.

"I don't want to go."

"Then damn it, Charlie, don't."

"Bass-"

He couldn't hold back after hearing his name on her lips. His lips molded over hers and his tongue delved into her mouth immediately. She let go of his hands in favor of grabbing the hem of his shirt. His hands went to her sides and slid down as far as they could before he applied pressure. Knowing what he wanted, Charlie jumped and let him haul her up. Her hands went to his shoulders to steady herself as her legs wrapped around his waist.

With one hand digging into her hip, the other arm looped solidly around her back, he moved them into the next room; the kitchen. He groaned into her mouth as he set her on the granite counter top that had survived this long. Kitchens had always been his thing before the black out and he couldn't picture anything else but Charlie laid out atop the counter with his cock buried deep inside her. She seemed to have the same appreciation as she pushed herself to the edge and grabbed at the hem of his shirt. She brought it over his head and tossed it to the floor before he reciprocated. She lifted her hips enough for him to be able to work her jeans and underwear off. Since she hadn't put shoes on yet, her clothes fell to the floor, Monroe's landing in the same spot shortly after.

He placed his hands on her knees and pushed them apart, moving in closer to her. She could feel him on the inside of her thigh and she moaned with anticipation. He reached between them and rubbed his throbbing cock back and forth along her wet folds a few times before pushing himself completely into her. She gasped into their kiss and then bit down on his lip. Her hands roamed over his back as he gripped the edge of the counter and began to set a pace that would get them off sooner rather than later.

"Bass," she moaned as he hit her harder and harder with each stroke. His name spurred him on and he picked up the pace. She rotated her hips to match his thrusts with some of her own, but in order to do so she had to dig her nails into his back. In the process she could feel his flesh tearing and soon her hand was wet with what she knew was blood. That only seemed to work in their favor.

As her body began to spasm with the beginnings of release, she pulled her head back and bit her own lip to keep from crying out. Monroe leaned forward enough to nip at her exposed skin. As her nails ripped a new path into his back, his blunt teeth latched onto her throat, eliciting a sound of pure satisfaction from her; her walls coating him with her release. He wasn't far behind. He was about to pull out and cum on her thigh, but Charlie had other ideas. She dug her heels into his ass and held him there. He was too lost in the throes of passion to fight too much and a few thrusts later he was tumbling after her into bliss, his fluids filling her to the fullest.

Finished, Charlie tipped her head forward and let her hands rest calmly on his shoulders. His cheek nuzzled hers as one of his hands snuck up to palm her breast. "You're still going." He didn't even bother making it a question.

His beard scratched her cheek as she nodded, a small smile on her face. "Eventually."

He pulled back enough to look at her, questioning her with his gaze.

"I can try to send a message through the Nano and I'll go with you to try to catch up with them, but if it doesn't work, I need to go."

His response was to kiss her again, his cock springing back to life inside her. She moaned and moved her hips, indicating she was more than ready for another round.

* * *

><p>Outside, Connor stood on the slab of concrete that qualified as a porch. He could hear what was going on inside, but that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the light fixtures on either side of the door that made him stare in wonder. The bulbs, thought useless long ago, were flickering and then glowing brightly as if someone had simply flicked the switch on the other side of the wall.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n: I know, a filler chapter. Bear with me!**

**also, I'm posting way less often than I wanted to, but I just started a new relationship and just got back from vacation so life's getting in the way. But! I'm back now so I should be updating more frequently :)**

ELEVEN

It had been dark for quite some time before the trio decided to stop and rest. They had eaten and decided a watch schedule. Monroe had taken the first watch and Connor had volunteered for the second. He was sitting a little further away from the dying fire, his back resting against what used to be a tree. The only sound that reached his ears was that of the bugs and the light snore from his father. He tried his best to keep his eyes averted from the pair, but he found himself giving in more times than he cared to admit.

He had heard their encounter in the house earlier and he had seen the evidence when he walked in to discover them straightening their clothes as they met him in the foyer from the direction of the kitchen. All day he had seen the looks like they gave each other and the jealousy was getting to him. Even now, they were trying to keep it hidden, but they were lying close enough to one another that it was hard to ignore.

Connor thought back to the night in New Vegas when he had hooked up with Charlie. He had thought for sure that that was the beginning of something great. But all she ever did was reject his advances. He thought maybe it was just her and that she wasn't ready for anything big, but now he knew.

He turned away and closed his eyes, trying not to think about what could have been. When he opened them again he realized how tired he was and decided it was time to wake Charlie for the third watch. When he was sure she was up, he went back to his position a little ways away from them and laid down. He drifted off, shrouded by dark thoughts.

* * *

><p>Miles sat at the bar, nodding at the bartender after receiving his third round. They had been on the road for the better part of week and this was the first time they had truly stopped for the night. Odessa, Texas had an inn with plenty of rooms, places to eat, and an assortment of bars like this one. As he downed his whiskey he reflected on the fact that he had abandoned the Patriot War in efforts to deal with more Nano bullshit. He wanted to believe that the Nano that had delivered their message to Aaron was legit, but there was a part of him that knew better than to assume. He wasn't quite ready to dive in head first with that one.<p>

He ordered another round and watched from the corner of his eye as Rachel slid onto the stool next to him and ordered a round for herself. He turned towards her and let the corners of his lips rise, but it was not anywhere near a smile. "Aaron and Priscilla have turned in for the night," she informed him.

"Good for them."

She sighed and reached out to place her hand on his forearm. "You're doing the right thing, Miles. Blanchard didn't want to extend the search for Davis and they don't know about the Nano. He's leading the front for the war on the Patriots."

He turned to stare at her. "I know Blanchard has a handle on things, Rachel. I'm worried about Charlie. God only knows what's happening on the road with her and Bass." He shuddered just to think about it.

Rachel tensed as she always did when her daughter was mentioned in the same sentence as Sebastian Monroe. "She's fine. She can handle herself," she said, her voice tight. She let a small smirk form at her lips as she added, "She's a Matheson after all."

"Yeah, well, being a Matheson didn't really work for Ben or Danny."

She looked up and glared at him. "No thanks to Monroe, who you let go off with Charlie. Again."

She got off the stool and walked away. Miles rolled his eyes, slapped some diamonds on the counter, and chased after her. He caught her before she reached the door and moved to stand in front of her, blocking her path. "Monroe isn't the enemy, Rachel. Not anymore. He has had more than enough chances to hurt her. You said it yourself, she can handle herself."

She swallowed hard and gave him that look; one that said she was about to drop a bombshell. "You would feel differently if you knew the truth," she said, her voice quiet.

"Knew what?"

"Charlie's-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a younger man approached them and began talking. "I heard you guys mention Monroe and Charlie."

Miles and Rachel turned towards him. "You know them?"

"Monroe was my big payday once upon a time, but Charlie was determined to kill him for herself. I guess she decided she had something else in mind because-"

"Watch it," Miles warned, his hand balling into a fist at his side. It was bad enough he had seen the looks passed between Charlie and Monroe, he didn't want to think about it being so transparent that strangers could see it too.

"Well, they passed through not too long ago looking for Neville and his travel companion."

Miles understood that to be Connor. "Did you speak to them?"

The other man nodded. "They're on their way to Bradbury, Idaho with the rest of the crazies. If they make it that far."

"What do you mean?"

The younger man scoffed. "Either those two are going to kill each other or lock themselves in a room and-"

"Okay, enough," Miles interrupted and shook his head to erase those images. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he said, holding a hand out as if expecting payment. He wiggled his fingers and smiled. "Information isn't free, but if the payment is decent enough I'll overlook the fact that the two of you are high up on the Patriot's most wanted lists and be on my way."

Miles knew better than to haggle with something like this. He reached for his the small bag and gave the other guy a few diamonds. He nodded and then took off. Rachel stared at him for a moment before storming out of the bar, pushing past Miles with little effort.

"That son of a bitch!" she seethed as Miles met her outside.

"Hey, that kid doesn't know the full story. He-"

She cut him off with a deadly look. "He just has to take everything; consequences be damned. He has no right. He-"

"Whoa, Rachel, slow down. I might not like it either, but-"

"She's your daughter, Miles."

Miles felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. Her words circled around him, repeating like a broken record until they faded into nothing. He didn't know how to react and instead, just stared there looking at Rachel like a deer caught in headlights.

"I told you you'd feel different if you knew the truth," she added with a whisper and then turned away, leaving him to stare after her in a stupor.

* * *

><p>The dark sky was beginning to lighten as the sun began to rise. Charlie knew she should wake the others soon and get going, but she knew they could both use the rest. Instead, she reached for her bag and dug around for the bottle with the Nano. She was only mildly surprised to find five bugs inside when last she looked there were two. She undid the cap and held out her other hand, watching as the bugs hovered over her open palm. She stared at them as she thought of what to say.<p>

"I don't know if you can communicate with the others, but if you can, please tell my mom, Miles, and Aaron that I'm on my way to Bradbury and they should meet me there."

The bugs blinked in no rhythm whatsoever.

Charlie sighed and tipped the bottle in their direction. She snorted as they went back inside. "That you understand," she grumbled and returned them to her bag. Needing to get up and walk around, Charlie got to her feet and moved away from their little camp. She figured she would make the most of this and search for something to eat while she was up.

She hadn't made it far before she realized her efforts would be wasted. This place was still mostly flat and desolate. She leaned against a small tree and tipped her face towards the rising sun. She let her mind wander to the night in Clayton and all the events that had transpired afterwards. She could finally admit that she liked Monroe, but it was still strange. Something had changed between them and while she liked this new path, she had to decide if it was a change that would last or end in disaster.

"Charlie?" came Monroe's voice as he approached.

She stepped away from the tree so that he could see her. "I was going to give you guys a little more time to rest."

"You alright?" he asked, moving to stand right before her.

She nodded. "I tried sending a message earlier with the Nano in the bottle. I don't think it worked."

"Maybe it did."

She sighed as she stared up at him. "Maybe it didn't. Look, Bass, I can't take that chance. We need the others and I have to go get them." She reached out and took his hands in hers. "Whatever is going on between us will still be there when we see each other next."

"What _is _going on between us?" he questioned, closing the gap between them, their fronts touching.

Charlie's lips parted to answer, but her words were stopped as the sound of a twig snapping reached their ears. They turned in the direction of the sound and saw Connor staring at them, eyes full of rage. "Really, you two?" he asked, gesturing at them. "I woke up and you were gone. I thought something happened," he snapped, stashing his gun into the waistband of his jeans.

He turned to go back to camp and Charlie exchanged a glance with Monroe. She stepped away from him and took off after Connor. "Hey," she said, pulling him to a stop. "You-"

He pulled out of his grasp and shoved her away from him. "I always thought-" he started, but composed himself and shook his head. "Never mind. Whatever the two of you have going on, can you not make it obvious when I'm around? It's weird," he said and stalked off again, leaving Charlie to stare after him.

"He'll be fine," Monroe said, coming up behind her.

She nodded briefly. "Durango's only a few hours away. We leave now we can make it before noon."

"We-"

"Not now," she whispered and followed Connor to get her things ready for their departure. Monroe sighed and raked a hand through his hair before going after her to do the same.

* * *

><p>Aaron blinked as a flash of bright green light roused him from sleep. He gasped a little as he woke with a start and when his eyes focused, he could see a small stream of fireflies coming in through the cracks in the walls. The dull glow of each one combined to be bright enough in the room to where Aaron could see everything. Slowly, the fireflies swarmed together and swirled until their shape changed into that of someone he recognized.<p>

Cynthia.

He knew it was just the Nano using his memories to present themselves in a non threatening way, but seeing her face before him made his breath catch. He gave a sad smile and pushed himself into a sitting position, trying his best not to wake Priscilla from where she slumbered on the other side of the bed.

"The Chosen One asked us to deliver a message to the Creator," faux-Cynthia said, her voice eery and distant.

"I'm listening."

"She is following leads to Bradbury. She will meet you along the way."

"Meet us? Is she not traveling with Monroe still?"

"We have delivered her message as requested." Cynthia stared at him for a moment and then disappeared, leaving a swarm of Nano bugs in her stead.

Aaron sighed. "That wasn't really helpful," he muttered. "If you can, tell her we're on our way there too." Aaron didn't know if they heard him or had any intentions of relaying his reply as he watched them leave the room, returning him to darkness beside Priscilla.


End file.
